Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić congratulated Siniša Karan on his victory in the recent presidential election in the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska (RS), and expressed hope that Karan’s first official visit would be to Belgrade.
“I expect his first visit, anywhere, to be to Belgrade and Serbia. We always maintain strong relations while respecting the Dayton Agreement, and I hope we will continue to carefully build these ties, safeguarding the interests of both Serbia and Republika Srpska,” Vučić told reporters on Friday.
Karan is a member of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) led by Milorad Dodik, the former RS leader who is under U.S. sanctions for actions seen as undermining the Dayton Agreement and pursuing secessionist goals. Karan has been described as one of Dodik’s closest associates and was part of Dodik’s working group on a potential RS secession plan from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The election, held on Feb. 8 at several polling stations, was a repeat of the November 23 vote after the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina identified irregularities. Preliminary results showed Karan winning 50.54% of the vote, narrowly defeating opposition candidate Branko Blanuša of the SDS, who received 48.09%.
The repeat election followed the removal of Dodik from the RS presidency in August 2025 by a final ruling of the Bosnian court over his refusal to comply with decisions by the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vučić’s congratulations came after he was awarded the Order of the New Martyr of Bihać-Petrovačka by the Serbian Orthodox Church for his “demonstrated benevolence and great love” for the Bihać-Petrovačka Eparchy and the Rmanj Monastery in Martin Brod, Bosnia.
Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić also congratulated Karan, emphasizing Serbia’s commitment to open and friendly cooperation with RS in all areas.
Karan has received international congratulations from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Serbian officials, including Senator Aleksandar Vulin, emphasized support for RS autonomy and called for respect for the will of its voters, framing Karan’s victory as part of a broader process of strengthening the entity’s political position within Bosnia and Herzegovina.