Blanusa Cancels TV Duel, Dodik Says He Is Not Fit to Lead

The presidential campaign in Republika Srpska, watched closely from Belgrade week after week because of its direct bearing on relations with Banja Luka, produced its first open clash today. The first scheduled television debate between the candidates for president of Republika Srpska fell through after the opposition Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) candidate failed to show up, prompting Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) leader Milorad Dodik to address reporters in Banja Luka over the no-show.

Radio-Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) sent official letters to both candidates’ campaign teams on September 4, proposing a direct face-off on its show “Drugi ugao.” The teams were asked to confirm participation by September 7 for a debate planned for Tuesday, September 8. The SNSD campaign team confirmed that its candidate, the sitting prime minister of Republika Srpska, Savo Minic, would attend.

After several phone calls, the SDS team told the broadcaster that its candidate, Branko Blanusa, would not be able to make it. The party explained that Branko Blanusa is unable to attend the debate due to previously scheduled commitments. Blanusa chairs the SDS and teaches at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Banja Luka.

Dodik: whoever fears the arguments must not lead the Serb Republic

Milorad Dodik called out Blanusa the same day in Banja Luka, saying the refusal to debate speaks to whether the candidate is capable of leading Republika Srpska. The SNSD leader said:

Those who fear a face-off fear arguments, and those who fear arguments must not lead Republika Srpska.

The message was aimed directly at Blanusa, a day after the public broadcaster confirmed the debate would not go ahead as scheduled. Dodik’s remark comes only in the campaign’s second week, an early sign of the tone likely to define the rest of the race for the Republika Srpska presidency in Banja Luka.

RTRS says it will invite the other candidates too

After the cancellation, Radio-Television of Republika Srpska said it remains committed to giving every political option equal treatment on air. The broadcaster said it is committed, in line with the law and public broadcasting standards, to ensuring equal treatment for all political options and candidates, and announced it would extend invitations to the remaining presidential candidates during September. With that, RTRS is trying to keep the failed Minic-Blanusa slot from looking like one candidate dodged public scrutiny while the other did not have to.

What is being decided on October 4

General elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina are set for October 4, 2026. The campaign began on September 4 and runs until 7 a.m. on October 3, when election silence begins a day before polls open. That day, voters in Republika Srpska will choose the Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, the president and two vice presidents of Republika Srpska, members of the National Assembly in Banja Luka, and 14 members of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina elected from the entity’s territory.

For Belgrade, the race carries particular weight because of its direct impact on relations with Banja Luka in the coming term, regardless of who becomes president of Republika Srpska. This outlet previously reported on Minic’s candidacy in the article “Samac: Minic Named SNSD Candidate for Republika Srpska President,” and today’s dispute over the TV debate is the first concrete flashpoint in the campaign itself, after coverage so far had focused mainly on the candidacies.

Whether Blanusa accepts one of the future dates RTRS says it plans to offer, or keeps avoiding a direct face-off with Minic, will become clear over the coming weeks of the campaign, during which the public broadcaster says it intends to invite the rest of the presidential field as well.