Serb nationalist Milorad Dodik has vowed to defy a ruling from Bosnia’s election authorities to remove him as president of the country’s autonomous Serb-run region, Republika Srpska, following a court conviction and a ban from holding political office.
The pro-Russia Mr Dodik has dominated Bosnian Serb politics for 20 years and has repeatedly threatened to seek Republika Srpska’s secession from the majority-Muslim country rather than go along with western-backed efforts to strengthen the central government in Sarajevo and break down ethnic divisions following Bosnia’s devastating 1992-1995 war.
An appeals court last week upheld a February verdict to jail Mr Dodik for a year and bar him from office for six years for defying edicts from an international high representative who oversees implementation of a 1995 peace deal known as the Dayton accords.
In response to the court ruling, Bosnia’s central election body announced on Wednesday that Mr Dodik (66) could no longer serve as president of Republika Srpska. He has the right to appeal the decision but, if it fails, snap elections to find his replacement will take place within 90 days.
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“Another s**tshow from Sarajevo. The last one,” Mr Dodik wrote on social media in response to Wednesday’s ruling. “Surrender is not an option.”
[ Bosnian Serb leader Dodik threatens to declare indepdendence from BosniaOpens in new window ]
After his court appeal was thrown out last week, Mr Dodik said he counted on the support of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, the nationalist leaders of Serbia and Hungary – Aleksandar Vucic and Viktor Orban – and would seek the backing of US president Donald Trump.
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“This has nothing to do with democracy or law. This is an attempt by Muslim political structures to dominate Bosnia,” Mr Dodik said when his appeal failed.
“I will seek help from Russia and I will write a letter to the US administration,” he added, while urging all political parties in Republika Srpska to boycott any snap presidential election in the region and threatening to “deploy the police” to prevent any polling stations from being set up.
He received strong backing from Mr Vucic and Mr Orban who, like Mr Dodik, portray themselves as champions of the people fighting for the wellbeing – and even the survival – of their nations against a shadowy liberal elite centred on Brussels.
“President Dodik has been condemned for refusing to dance to the tune that Brussels is whistling. Hungary does not accept this decision,” Mr Orban said when welcoming Mr Dodik to Budapest on Tuesday.
“Attempts by EU-appointed overseers to remove him for opposing their globalist agenda are unacceptable. He is the rightful, elected leader of the Republika Srpska.”
Mr Dodik is a frequent visitor to Russia and is under US sanctions for alleged corruption and for undermining Bosnian statehood.
