Republika Srpska drops boycott of early vote for Dodik's successor

At an evening session, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted conclusions calling on "all political parties based in Republika Srpska to independently decide on their participation in the early elections for the president of Republika Srpska".

The SNSD and its leader, Milorad Dodik, had previously announced they would boycott the early elections in protest at his removal.

The BiH Central Election Commission removed Dodik from the post of President of Republika Srpska, after which early presidential elections were scheduled for November 23.

The latest conclusions were adopted following the opposition's announcement that it would run with a single joint candidate.

Dodik himself said he would make a decision later on whether to participate in the election. The most serious potential candidate mentioned is Siniša Karan, the current Minister of the Interior of Republika Srpska.

Despite the shift, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska continued to contest the decision to dismiss Dodik, who was removed from office by the Central Election Commission following a ruling of the Court of BiH.

The verdict and the commission's decision sparked strong reactions from Republika Srpska authorities, who consider them unconstitutional and politically motivated.

The RS National Assembly's conclusions state that it rejects "any form of colonial administration in BiH, which is the main cause of the constitutional and political crisis," and emphasize that Dodik "was not removed on the basis of a law adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, but based on the decision of an unelected foreigner, High Representative Christian Schmidt."

One of the conclusions instructs the leadership of the National Assembly to draft a resolution on the self-determination of the Serb people and Republika Srpska. Such a document could have far-reaching political consequences, as it would mark the official start of an initiative to strengthen Republika Srpska's position within BiH, as well as potentially redefine its relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina.