Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik announced late Wednesday that he would seek popular support through a referendum on the extension of his presidential mandate. This statement came just hours after the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina officially stripped him of his powers, citing an effective sentence of one year in prison and a six-year ban on political activity, Bosnian media reported.
Dodik was convicted of failing to comply with the decisions of the High International Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, German Christian Schmidt, whose legitimacy the head of Republika Srpska has systematically contested.
"My mandate was given to me by the people, so it is the people who will decide whether I keep it," Dodik said at a press conference after a meeting of the leaders of the ruling coalition in Banja Luka. He indicated that the referendum would be held based on a decision of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska.
According to amendments to the Law on Referendum and Citizens' Initiative adopted in June 2024 in Republika Srpska, a valid referendum now requires a majority of those who voted, rather than all those registered on the electoral roll - a major change that facilitates the conduct of polls.
Dodik stressed that the ruling coalition remains "determined to defend the constitutional and Dayton position of Republika Srpska, which, in his opinion, is seriously threatened by the actions of Christian Schmitt". He again stated that Schmidt is not legitimate, as he has not been approved by the UN Security Council.
"Bosniak parties want to eliminate me from politics, but I will not leave Republika Srpska", Dodik also stated.
Meanwhile, Dodik's lawyer - Goran Bubić - has filed a request with the court in Sarajevo to have his sentence replaced with a fine of 36,500 convertible marks (about 18,700 euros). Bosnian law allows sentences of up to one year to be "redeemed" against a fine.
Political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina remain high, with Dodik's move seen by analysts as a new stage in the destabilization of the post-war constitutional order set out in the Dayton Agreement.
Dodik has already received support from Russia, Serbia and Hungary and even visited Budapest after the court's ruling was announced. Because of Russia's veto power in the UN Security Council, the world organization is unlikely to be able to make a decision on the matter.
Dodik has been the subject of international criticism for years, including for his public denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, where Bosnian Serb forces killed over 9,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 - a crime recognized by the UN as an act of genocide.
In March, the court also issued an international arrest warrant after Dodik left the country despite a domestic ban. However, Interpol refused to publish the so-called "red notice".