Balkan state moves to oust local Serb leader – media
The election authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have revoked the mandate of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, local media has reported. Republika Srpska is an autonomous Serb-dominated region within the Balkan country.
According to Dnevni Avaz news outlet, the decision of the Central Election Commission was unanimous, though Dodik has the right to appeal. Once the deadline passes, early elections are expected to be called within 90 days.
The move followed a court ruling in February in which Dodik was given a one-year prison sentence and a six-year ban from political office over alleged anti-constitutional conduct. The Serb leader was accused of refusing to implement rulings issued by Christian Schmidt, the international high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A German national, Schmidt is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War.
The stand-off between the Serb leader and Schmidt dates back to 2023, when Dodik helped push through local-level laws preventing the implementation of state-level Constitutional Court rulings and declaring the envoy’s decrees non-binding. Dodik earlier proclaimed Schmidt illegitimate, calling him a “tourist.”
Dodik appeared to defy the commission’s decision, writing on X: “What if I refuse,” dismissing it as more “crap from Sarajevo.”
The Bosnian Serb leader earlier attracted some international support, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban signaling that he would not recognize any verdicts against Dodik, adding that any “attempts by EU-appointed overseers to remove him for opposing their globalist agenda are unacceptable.”
Vladimir Dzhabarov, a senior member of Russia’s Federation Council, interpreted the pressure on Dodik as a jab at Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a traditional ally of Republika Srpska.
