Bosnia and Herzegovina holds elections that could shape its EU path
Bosnia and Herzegovina held parliamentary and presidential elections on Sunday, with the country's EU accession prospects and long-standing ethnic divisions dominating the campaign. Preliminary results are expected Sunday evening.
Voting concluded on Sunday in Bosnia and Herzegovina's parliamentary and presidential elections, with citizens also choosing the three members of the state presidency — representing the Bosniak, Croat and Serb communities. The first preliminary results are expected later Sunday evening.
EU membership takes center stage
One of the central themes of the campaign was the country's future path toward European Union membership. Bosnia and Herzegovina gained candidate status in 2022, and the following year EU leaders gave the green light to open accession negotiations. However, progress on the required reforms has been slowed by domestic political disputes and persistent tension between the country's ethnic communities.
Ethnic tensions and calls for autonomy
The election also drew attention to Bosnian Serb political leaders, who have called for greater autonomy for the Serb-majority entity, Republika Srpska. Observers have voiced concern that post-election political tensions could further complicate governance and slow the country's progress toward EU membership.
A country still divided after the war
Since the 1992–1995 war, Bosnia and Herzegovina has remained split into two largely autonomous entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, home mainly to Bosniaks and Croats, and Republika Srpska. The two entities are linked by a complex central governing system established under the Dayton peace agreement that ended the war.
