The President of BiH's Republika Srpska and leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik, held a lengthy press conference in which he announced that the party and the entity would "fight for the Constitution of BiH," launch initiatives to abolish ministries at the state level except for three of them, and called on supporters and coalition partners to attend a rally in front of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NSRS) starting Tuesday, lasting until the verdict is delivered in his case. He threatened that, if he is convicted, he will implement the conclusions of the NSRS adopted since 2010—effectively turning them into laws—including the formation of the Army of Republika Srpska. He also compared himself to convicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic.
Dodik stated that the situation at the BiH level is unstable, that “BiH is a country in a state of creeping disintegration,” and that attacks on BiH's institutional order, its Constitution, and the Dayton Agreement contribute to this. He accused the Constitutional Court of BiH of unconstitutional behavior because it lacks all judges. It is worth noting that judges from Republika Srpska withdrew at the request of Dodik and the NSRS until foreign judges step down.
“The Constitution of BiH must be defended from foreign factors, who have, through excessive interventionism and criminal acts, contributed to the deterioration of the situation in BiH and have brought its sovereignty into question,” said Dodik.
Calls for a fight for the Constitution of BiH
Once again, he spoke about “fake High Representatives,” embassies—especially singling out the U.S. embassy—and accused the European Commission of undermining the rule of law.
“The Main Board rejects all decisions made outside the will of the people and the Constitution of BiH and the Constitution of Republika Srpska. We remain committed to supporting the Dayton Agreement, the Constitution of BiH, and the Constitution of Republika Srpska. It is important to step into the fight for the preservation of the Constitution of BiH and the Dayton Agreement as a balanced framework for BiH’s stability,” said Dodik.
He stated that SNSD has “seriously approached” analyzing the state of institutions in BiH. Regarding the Presidency of BiH, he said that it has been “completely excluded from foreign policy” and, when it does act, it does so “on a personal level.” He also spoke about Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic, saying that SNSD will now support his removal, arguing that he has violated the Constitution of BiH because he acted personally rather than institutionally, thereby undermining trust.
Dodik compares himself to Karadzic
Dodik also spoke about “political pressures on Republika Srpska.”
“They have never stopped, and they have always been personalized to target the most responsible people of that time, seeking their guilt in international and local courts, just as they did with the first president, Radovan Karadzic (convicted war criminal), Biljana Plavsic (convicted war criminal who served her sentence), Dragan Cavic, Nikola Poplasen (founder of the Serbian Radical Party who was removed from office by the High Representative for attempting to oust Dodik, ed.), up to today and the current president and representatives of our highest institutions in Republika Srpska (referring to himself),” said Dodik.
He stated that Republika Srpska will begin the process of annulling all laws that were not adopted in accordance with the Dayton Agreement and the Constitution of BiH.
“We from SNSD and Republika Srpska are the only ones defending the Constitution of BiH. Republika Srpska has the right, as a signatory of the Constitution, to temporarily suspend all acts that were passed outside the Constitution. The political situation at the BiH level is extremely unstable, and SNSD believes that the Dayton Agreement has been dismantled,” Dodik said, repeating the names of those he considers responsible.
According to Dodik, SNSD’s Main Board concluded that the judicial process against him is not just “an attack on an individual but on Republika Srpska and the Serb people as a whole,” once again misleading the public into believing that Republika Srpska is on trial rather than him personally as an official who violated the Constitution of BiH.
“There is no doubt that they believe the position of the President of Republika Srpska, today one of the highest authorities in Republika Srpska and the political life of BiH, must be targeted to prevent future resistance. We recognize their agenda. This is more an act of desperation than a serious political assessment aiming to stabilize BiH. Calling on the High Representative to act is not a serious move. A possible conviction in the case is only the first step, while the second is crucial, where conditions should be created for action—laws on property, strengthening BiH's institutional capacities, and we are not interested in that,” Dodik said.
“Abolishing” BiH ministries
He then announced that he would work to abolish all ministries at the BiH level, except three, as he claims the others are outside the Constitution of BiH.
“We must reject the practice of turning the Parliamentary Assembly into a parliament because it is not one. An attempt is being made to make the Parliamentary Assembly superior to others. That must be stopped. The SNSD Main Board believes it is necessary to strengthen Republika Srpska's autonomous status in accordance with the Constitution and the Dayton Agreement. If that does not succeed, we will have to go all the way,” said Dodik, calling on all parties to “take him very seriously.”
He claimed that the SNSD Main Board stated that “BiH has no jurisdiction over defense, fiscal policy, or the judiciary…”
“We will remain persistent in defending the Constitution of BiH, but we are not the ones who will insist on it beyond reasonable limits. The key issue discussed today was our international position. We conclude that the international situation has significantly changed. There is clear confusion in Republika Srpska, BiH, and the region. A new multilateral order is emerging. We fully support the President of the U.S. in establishing a legitimate system in the world. We support the President of Serbia in strengthening Serbia's stability. The possibility of extraordinary appointments in Serbia or elsewhere should be rejected. We recognize President Aleksandar Vucic as a true friend of Republika Srpska. We will continue to build good relations with other countries. Republika Srpska must be additionally prepared for a new constellation of international relations, seeking its place in that new constellation by respecting the Constitution of BiH or for Republika Srpska to independently embark on its political and territorial path. The messages we hear from the world's most powerful countries—that they will respect the will of the people, as Trump recently said—certainly support our right to determine our own political course. All these measures will demonstrate our unwavering stance,” Dodik said.
He called on citizens to a large rally in front of NSRS on Tuesday at around 4 PM to support him and “encourage deputies to decide on important issues for Republika Srpska and stay until the end of the Assembly’s work.”
“I am determined to go all the way in this fight, fully aware that if Milorad Dodik's political and state authority is destroyed, that will be the condition for burying Republika Srpska, and I refuse to participate in that—I would rather participate in burying BiH,” Dodik said, once again equating himself with Republika Srpska.
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