Bosnia’s electoral authorities have stripped separatist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik of his post as president of the Serb entity in Bosnia, Republika Srpska.
The formal step follows an earlier appeals court verdict that sentenced him to one year in jail and banned him from all political activity for six years.
A Sarajevo court in February sentenced Dodik for failing to comply with rulings by the international envoy overseeing Bosnia’s 1995 peace accords, following war there in the early nineties.
The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) decided to apply the law which lays down that an elected official is automatically forced out of office if sentenced to more than six months in jail, commission member Suad Arnautovic told reporters on Wednesday.
The commission’s decision against Milorad Dodik will take effect after an appeals period expires. An early election for president of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic would then be called within 90 days, Arnautovic said.
Dodik’s lawyers said they planned to take the case to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Surrender and giving up do not exist. Surrender is not an option,” Dodik wrote in a post on X, adding that he pledges to continue his duties as president.
‘Politically motivated’, says Bosnian Serb government
On Friday, the appeals court in Bosnia and Herzegovina upheld the February court ruling, which had sentenced Dodik to prison and banned him from political activity. As a result, his mandate as Bosnian Serb president was revoked.
Dodik had also rejected the court ruling then and added that he would continue to act as Bosnian Serb president as long as he had the support of the Bosnian Serb parliament.
The Bosnian Serb government said it does not accept the court ruling because it is “unconstitutional and politically motivated”.
Dodik has received support from international allies, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as well as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The European Union, meanwhile, said last week that the “verdict is binding and must be respected”.
Bosnia is a candidate for EU membership – however, Dodik’s separatist and pro-Russian activities have stalled progress towards this.
Dodik has repeatedly called for the separation of the Serb entity to join Serbia, prompting the former United States administration to impose sanctions against him and his allies.
His separatist threats have stoked fears in Bosnia, particularly among Bosniaks.
From 1992 to 1995, war erupted when Bosnian Serbs rebelled against independence from the former Yugoslavia and moved to form a mini-state, aiming to unite it with Serbia. About 100,000 people were killed and millions were displaced.
The US-sponsored Dayton Accords ended the war and created two regions in Bosnia, Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation.
The regions are largely autonomous but have some joint institutions, including the army, top judiciary and tax administration. Bosnia also has a rotating three-member presidency made up of Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats.
Dodik has repeatedly clashed with the top international envoy overseeing the peace, Christian Schmidt, and declared his decisions illegal in Republika Srpska.
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