President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik reacted after the Central Election Commission (CEC) BiH made a decision on the termination of his mandate.
"Another piece of crap from Sarajevo. The last one," wrote Dodik on the X platform.
Withdrawal of mandate
CiK BiH made today an invalid decision on the termination of the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, elected in the general elections in 2022, which Dodik has the right to appeal.
This decision was made after the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed the first-instance verdict by which Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and a six-year ban on political activity.
Political implications
Followers of events in Bosnia and Herzegovina agree that this decision further aggravates the already tense relations between Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Dodik announced that he will not respect it and that the RS institutions will not recognize the authority of the CEC in this case.
"My legitimacy was given to me by the people, not by any commission in Sarajevo," said Dodik. Protests have already been announced in the Republic of Srpska, and there are also possible decisions of the National Assembly of the RS that would try to "neutralize" the activities of the CEC in that entity.
Dodik's presidential mandate terminated: The implementation of the judgment of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina begins
However, on the international level, the West welcomed the decision as a "necessary step towards the protection of the constitutional order", while there are no official reactions from Russia and Serbia. High Representative Christian Schmidt supported the CEC's decision, stressing that "the rule of law must have protection mechanisms against political extremism."
What next?
If the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirms the decision of the CEC, Dodik could lose the right to perform the function of the President of the RS, and in that case the National Assembly of the RS would have to start the procedure of electing a new president.
Otherwise, the political crisis could escalate into an institutional blockade, especially if the RS institutions refuse to recognize the legitimacy of that decision.
At this moment, only one thing is clear - the CEC's decision represents a turning point in attempts to stop the destructive behavior of the most powerful politician in the RS, but also a potentially dangerous precedent that can have profound consequences for the already fragile balance in BiH.
