Early Election of the President of Republika Srpska, 23 November 2025

Following an invitation from the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to observe the 23 November 2025 early election of the president of Republika Srpska and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 22 to 25 September 2025.1 The NAM included Ulvi Akhundlu, Deputy Head of the ODIHR Election Department, and Kakha Inaishvili, ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the NAM was to assess the pre-election environment and preparations for the early election of the president of Republika Srpska. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming election, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from state institutions as well as with key stakeholders. A list of meetings is annexed to this report.