BiH tripartite Presidency member Milorad Dodik said on Monday that Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity will, within the next year or two, either “strenghten its autonomy” or may not even exist.

Dodik made the statement at a session of the National Assembly of the semi-autonomous Serb-majority RS entity, as he tried to get MPs to support his initiative of declaring several BiH Presidency decisions harmful to the vital national interests of Serbs.

He said that “Bosniaks want to enable decisions to be made at the level of BiH that are not in accordance with the Constitution.”

“I use the special session of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska to ask for the support of MPs, because things are happening at the BiH level that are visible and where, due to growing Bosniak opportunism and nationalism, attempts are being made to overthrow the constitutional order and institutions,” said Dodik.

He emphasised that at the last session of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he “voted against decisions that are harmful to the interests of the Republika Srpska”, arguing that this was also a decision which he said also received a negative opinion from the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republika Srpska.

“I believe that we will confirm the unity in defending the interests of RS. Initiating vital interest is in accordance with the Constitution, and I will always be guided by the interests and rights of the Republika Srpska, respecting the opinion of its institutions,” Dodik added.

Dodik also stressed that the Central Election Commission of BiH has no legitimacy due to the manner of its appointment.

“I think that in the next year or two, RS will strengthen its autonomy or it may not exist at all,” Dodik said.