The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC) has revoked the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, in accordance with the ruling of the Court of BiH and the country’s Election Law, BGNES reported.

The decision was made unanimously by all members of the CEC in line with legal provisions governing the procedure for terminating the mandate of elected officials in such cases.

Dodik’s legal team has the right to appeal to the Appellate Division of the Court of BiH, which handles election-related disputes. His mandate remains in effect until the decision becomes final.

Once the appeal period expires, the decision will become enforceable, and the CEC, in accordance with the law, will call early elections for President of Republika Srpska within 90 days.

The revocation of the mandate follows a final court verdict against Dodik for disobeying decisions of the High Representative of the international community in the country, Christian Schmidt. Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison (with the possibility of substituting the sentence with a fine) and banned from engaging in political activity for six years.

BGNES recalls that Milorad Dodik is the closest regional ally of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime. The President of Republika Srpska, along with several close associates, is under sanctions imposed by the United States.

The EU and NATO are frequent targets of Dodik’s criticism, while he actively promotes closer ties with BRICS and is a regular guest of Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

On the occasion of St. Sava Day, while in Skopje, North Macedonia, Dodik declared that "Macedonia is an example of the EU’s lack of principles."

In June 2024, Dodik led a Republika Srpska delegation at the so-called All-Serbian Assembly, which adopted a declaration endorsing the hegemonic goals of the ‘Serbian World’ doctrine, whose chief ideologue is US-sanctioned Serbian Deputy PM Aleksandar Vulin.

Dodik is also known for his denial of the Srebrenica genocide, which was recognized as a war crime by the UN General Assembly. In the summer of 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under Gen. Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić massacred over 9,000 Bosniak civilians. | BGNES