Dodik announces referendum on RS legal status despite conviction and court ban

As expected from Dodik, he once again justified the referendum by claiming that RS is forced to defend its status “in the only possible way – through the will of the people” and that this will be done “very gradually and calmly.”

“We will do it at the moment we consider necessary,” Dodik said.

He reiterated his refusal to recognise decisions of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, labelling them “political.”

“We will continue to pursue our policies as agreed, we will call a referendum that will undoubtedly show we are against any elections, that such elections should be boycotted and rejected,” Dodik asserted.

Expressing regret that the opposition had not responded to his call for a government of national unity, he said: “They did not prove themselves worthy. They will probably have their own opinion after this, but that’s their business, and it only shows how little they understand the processes or anything else.”

Dodik announced that a session of the RS National Assembly would be held to decide on the referendum, which he said would have a question “undoubtedly linked to the legal and constitutional status of RS” and would “likely be one of the introductions to future referendums concerning RS’s status.”

He also renewed his criticism of High Representative Christian Schmidt, whose decisions he refused to implement, leading to his conviction. Dodik warned that RS should not remain in Bosnia and Herzegovina under solutions “imposed by Schmidt” and threatened that minimum stabilisation in the country requires the removal of both Schmidt and his decisions.

Dodik was definitively sentenced by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding public office for failing to implement the High Representative’s decisions. The Appeals Chamber confirmed the verdict in early August 2025. Following this, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH terminated his mandate as RS President, triggering a legal obligation to call early elections within 90 days of the Appeals Chamber’s confirmation, as prescribed by the BiH Election Law.

If Dodik refuses to implement the decisions of the Court of BiH, CEC, or other state institutions, it would constitute a new criminal offence, failure to execute decisions of competent authorities, for which he has already been convicted under another charge.

Legal experts have also flagged the planned referendum as problematic. Entities in BiH do not have constitutional authority to decide by referendum on issues of state sovereignty or secession. The Constitutional Court of BiH has previously annulled results of referendums exceeding entity competences, such as the 2016 vote on January 9. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) has repeatedly warned that such actions violate the Dayton Peace Agreement and destabilise the country.