1998 Republika Srpska general election

General elections were held in Republika Srpska on 12 and 13 September 1998. They were third parliamentary election and second presidential election in three years.

1998 Republika Srpska general election

12–13 September 1998

Presidential election

Candidate Nikola Poplašen Biljana Plavšić Party SRS RS SNS Popular vote 322,684 286,606 Percentage 43.86% 38.96%

President before election Biljana Plavšić SNS Elected President Nikola Poplašen SRS RS

Parliamentary election

Party Leader % Seats +/– SDS Dragan Kalinić 21.65 19 -5 SDA Alija Izetbegović 16.93 15 -1 SRS RS Nikola Poplašen 13.11 11 -4 SNS Biljana Plavšić 12.92 12 -3 SP Živko Radišić 10.67 10 +1 SNSD Milorad Dodik 7.29 6 +4 RS RS Dragan Đurđević 3.66 3 New SDP BiH Zlatko Lagumdžija 2.68 2 0 SKRS 2.59 2 New HDZ BiH Ante Jelavić 1.55 1 New NHI–HKDU Krešimir Zubak 1.42 1 New SKO 0.41 1 New Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Milorad Dodik SNSD Milorad Dodik SNSD

Incumbent president Biljana Plavšić, who served since July 1996 after Radovan Karadžić resigned, lost to Nikola Poplašen, leader of the Serbian Radical Party of Republika Srpska. Mirko Šarović was elected Vice President.[1]

In the parliamentary election, the Serb Democratic Party again won the most seats, but failed to form a government. Although newly elected President Poplašen tried to name SDS leader Dragan Kalinić as the new Prime Minister, he faced opposition from High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp and was deposed shortly after. Prime Minister Milorad Dodik was subsequently chosen for another term.[2][3]