The recent early presidential elections in Republika Srpska have exposed what opposition leaders describe as a deliberate and calculated scheme of electoral manipulation, orchestrated by Milord Dodik and Aleksandar Vučić. At the center of the controversy is the alleged “importation of voters” from Serbia, a tactic that some claim tipped the balance in favor of the SNSD candidate Siniša Karan.
According to preliminary results, Karan narrowly defeated opposition candidate Branko Blanuša by just over 12,000 votes. Opposition parties, including the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), have rejected the outcome as fraudulent and are demanding repeat votes in Doboj, Laktaši, and Zvornik.
Vukanović: Vucic and Dodik Orchestrated the Election
Nebojša Vukanović, president of the opposition List for Justice and Order, accuses Vučić of directly interfering in the elections. “We observed unusual voter activity along the Serbian border. Opposition candidate Blanuša won everywhere except in key towns bordering Serbia—Bratunac, Zvornik, Rudo, Višegrad, and Srebrenica. There is no doubt this was orchestrated by Vučić to favor Dodik,” Vukanović stated.
Vukanović claims that buses carrying thousands of voters from Serbia arrived in Republika Srpska to participate in rallies and cast their ballots under direct instructions from the SNSD. He also alleges that Vučić met secretly with Dodik during the electoral silence period and manipulated Serbian media to give Dodik advantageous coverage. “Even after publicly criticizing Dodik, Vučić arranged support in the last ten days to ensure Dodik’s victory. This is blatant election engineering,” he said.
Vukanović further notes that voters with dual citizenship were organized and directed to support Dodik, and that multiple registrations at single addresses suggest deliberate coordination of votes in border towns. “A few thousand imported voters determined the election outcome in a race decided by a slim margin,” he added.
Antić: Overblown Story, but Electoral Irregularities Remain
Political scientist Velizar Antić warns that while the “importation of voters” may be overstated, the elections were still marred by systemic irregularities. “Even if imported votes were minimal, the real problems are in outdated voter lists, inflated turnout figures, and questionable vote counting. In some towns, turnout exceeded 80 percent, and Karan received 95 percent of votes. That is manipulation, not just cross-border voting,” he explained.
A Clear Pattern of Manipulation
The combination of imported voters, media manipulation, and administrative control indicates a coordinated effort by Vučić and Dodik to influence Republika Srpska’s elections. Opposition leaders warn that these tactics undermine democracy and represent a direct assault on electoral integrity.
“This is not just voter mobility—it is a systematic effort by Dodik and Vučić to subvert the will of the people,” Vukanović concluded. “Serbia and Republika Srpska may have friendly ties, but this is outright interference in a sovereign electoral process.”
The allegations highlight a disturbing reality: state power from Serbia being used to manipulate elections in Republika Srpska, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of the SNSD’s victory and the independence of the electoral process.
