Although the final results of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 2026 General Elections have not yet been announced, political consultations on the formation of the new authorities are expected to begin soon.

The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina has so far published preliminary results from the October 4 elections, while the final results are still pending.

HDZ BiH President Dragan Čović said preliminary talks with political partners could begin as early as next week. He indicated that some elements of the future coalition arrangement are already determined by the election results and constitutional framework.

“A lot of things are pre-defined in relations. We know that this time a Bosniak will be the chairman of the Council of Ministers, and then that in itself requires some agreements on some other departments, but I say – it is too early to talk about those details,” Čović said.

SNSD, meanwhile, says it is in no rush to begin negotiations.

“We respect all those who won, but I repeat – we are absolutely in no rush. There will be consultations, talks with everyone, that is absolutely not in dispute,” SNSD spokesperson Radovan Kovačević said.

SDA President Bakir Izetbegović has already indicated that his party intends to participate in discussions on the formation of government.

“In a certain way, we are a shareholder company. Everyone has a control package of something and you can’t do without it. We will work with those who have enough hands both in the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples,” Izetbegović said.

Based on the preliminary election results and the positions publicly expressed by party leaders, SNSD, HDZ BiH and SDA are among the parties being discussed as potential participants in a state-level governing arrangement. However, the final composition of the coalition will depend on the confirmed results, the distribution of mandates and negotiations among the parties.

Communication specialist Mladen Bubonjić believes that political actors may have already considered possible coalition arrangements before election day.

“We strongly doubt that there haven’t been at least some tentative agreements, even before the elections themselves, taking into account the projections they had and had at their disposal. It’s far from the fact that they didn’t think about it, maybe exchanging implicit messages,” Bubonjić said.

He also noted that the speed with which a government is formed does not necessarily determine how effectively it will function, while an agreement among political actors in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina could facilitate the process.

Other parties are also positioning themselves for the negotiations.

President of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina Semir Efendić said that parties seeking to form a government will have to negotiate with those holding sufficient parliamentary capacity.

“Here, if you want to form a government, you need to talk to those who have the capacity in the process that follows us. But, in no case does this mean accepting their conditions and obeying, as the Troika did in the previous term,” Efendić said.

NiP President Elmedin Konaković said his party would support a state-level coalition that excludes SNSD, adding that the composition of the House of Peoples would be particularly important.

“NiP is ready to support any coalition at the state level without SNSD. It will be very important here how it goes with the House of Peoples. And we will support a government that we don’t even have to be in, because we think that is a key task,” Konaković said.

Journalist and Bljesak.info editor Berislav Jurić said that the negotiations could involve a range of possible combinations.

“Will those who advocate the European path sit down with those who do not advocate the European path, etc. It will be a matter of one trade, and the voters will wait for the fulfillment of at least some promises that we have not listened to,” Jurić said.

While political parties begin preparing for negotiations, the Central Election Commission is still completing the process of confirming the election results. The Commission currently lists the preliminary results of the October 4 General Elections on its official website.

Once the final results are confirmed, the distribution of mandates will provide the basis for formal negotiations on the formation of authorities at the state and entity levels.