Opposition leaders in Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity have accused RS President Milorad Dodik of betrayal following his announcement to celebrate RS Day on February 15th, coinciding with Serbia's Statehood Day, just after the "All Serb Assembly" in Belgrade.

President of the Party of Democratic Progress, Branislav Borenovic, stated that marking January 9th as RS Day reflects the will of the people and the founders of the RS, a will that cannot be overridden by anyone, including President Dodik. He reminded that nearly 700,000 people supported January 9th as RS Day in a 2016 referendum (a date deemed unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina).

“All symbols of our existence that we truly identify with have been surrendered by the greatest traitor of the Serbian people and the most notorious deserter, Milorad Dodik. He surrendered the Nemanjic crest, gave away the anthem ‘God of Justice,’ and now he is attacking January 9th as RS Day,” emphasized Borenovic.

“Milorad Dodik has abolished Republic Day,” stated former PDP member and current President of the People's Front, Jelena Trivic. She claimed that this topic was included in the declaration solely at his insistence.

“Of all betrayals of national interests, the idea of abolishing January 9th as Republic Day is the most severe,” said Trivic, noting that this date has deep historical roots and that Republika Srpska was established as a response by local Serbs to the atrocities they endured during World War II.

“Republic Day is January 9th. Today is June 9th. In exactly seven months, we will celebrate another Republic Day. This is a historical fact that Dodik cannot erase. From a fake president, we expected nothing less than to trample on everything sacred,” added Trivic.

Milan Milicevic, President of the largest opposition party in this Bosnian entity, SDS, also accused Dodik of “high treason.”

“January 9th is Republic Day and will remain so forever. What Milorad Dodik is attempting to do, against the will of the people expressed in the referendum, is an act of high treason. Republika Srpska has its Republic Day – January 9th, which is a symbol of the Serbian people's identity, deeply rooted in our history and tradition. We will not allow its importance to be diminished or removed,” declared Milicevic.

Dodik, returning from Russia after meeting President Vladimir Putin, announced his proposal to celebrate RS Day on February 15th, aligning it with Serbia's Statehood Day.