The Central Election Commission of BiH has discontinued proceedings against SNSD initiated following a complaint by Transparency International in BiH regarding Saša Šarčević’s appearance on RTRS programming, in which he criticized the introduction of new electoral technologies and presented unfounded information that misinforms voters and jeopardizes the integrity of the electoral process.
The proceedings were discontinued because CIK, based on the submitted evidence, “could not establish that Šarčević is an SNSD supporter” although he attended the party’s new leaders school and participated in numerous party activities.
Who Is Saša Šarčević?
Among the evidence submitted to CIK was a photograph of Saša Šarčević with Milorad Dodik. The photograph, as such, may not be sufficient to prove Šarčević’s political affiliation, but the context in which it was taken speaks volumes about his relationship with SNSD.
Namely, Šarčević was a participant in the “SNSD New Leaders School,” after which his diploma was presented by none other than Milorad Dodik.
A much more recent trace comes from March 2026. Photographs from Budapest were published on the Instagram account of the Young Social Democrats, where their delegation participated in an international conference gathering conservative and right-wing political leaders and organizations. In the post description, alongside the president and general secretary of the Young Social Democrats, “SNSD Main Board member Saša Šarčević” was listed among the participants.
Thus, just a few months before SNSD informed CIK that it had no person named Saša Šarčević in its membership records, the party’s youth wing publicly presented Šarčević as a “member of the SNSD Main Board.”
The traces continue at the local level as well. In 2021, Saša Šarčević was a candidate for the Council of the Mala Bukovica Local Community in Doboj on SNSD’s proposal, and was subsequently elected to the Council. Today, the official website of the City of Doboj lists Saša Šarčević as president of the Council of that local community.
Šarčević’s public statements were also carried on SNSD’s official website, where his name has its own designation, or tag.
Nor do his public political positions indicate any distance from SNSD; rather, they are generally favorable to that party and Milorad Dodik. For example, after Siniša Karan’s victory in the early elections, he called Dodik the “president of all presidents.”
All of this gains additional weight due to SNSD’s argumentation before CIK, which also invoked the fact that Šarčević is not in the membership records.
However, the Election Law does not speak only of a member of a political party, but prescribes the responsibility of a political entity for certain violations committed by its “supporter.” It was precisely as an SNSD supporter that TI BiH designated Šarčević in the complaint and on that basis requested determination of the party’s potential liability.
Formal membership and supporter status are not the same. Even if SNSD’s claim that Šarčević is not registered as a member is accepted, the publicly available data cited demonstrate a multi-year connection with the party.
What Is Problematic About Šarčević’s Appearance?
TI BiH requested that CIK initiate proceedings ex officio due to Šarčević’s appearance on RTRS on July 29.
During the appearance, Šarčević, among other things, questioned the purpose and reliability of scanners and spoke about possible electoral manipulations and future “ad hoc” decisions by CIK.
TI BiH considered that this violated provisions of the Election Law regarding the dissemination of inaccurate information that could jeopardize the integrity of the electoral process, as well as the prohibition on premature campaigning.
Namely, in the final part of the program, he also commented on candidates for president of Republika Srpska, criticizing the opposition, while presenting the ruling party’s candidate through his prime ministerial achievements and as a representative of the “politics of stability.”
CIK, however, concluded that based on the submitted evidence, it cannot establish with certainty that Šarčević is an SNSD supporter or that he appeared on behalf of that party in the disputed program. The Commission viewed his appearance as a public statement by a political scientist presenting expert analyses and personal assessments, and did not establish that he promoted SNSD’s political program, candidates, or electoral objectives.
Let us reiterate, the decision’s reasoning contains no indication that CIK considered the series of publicly available data pointing to Šarčević’s long-standing connection with SNSD, nor did the Commission establish that he is a party supporter.
