Christian Schmidt’s latest imposed decisions have, as expected, provoked a wave of reactions. While legal experts warn that the self-proclaimed High Representative—lacking any legitimacy—is once again acting in violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, officials and Serb representatives in BiH institutions argue that these moves have once again undermined the country’s sovereignty. Meanwhile, officials in the Federation welcomed the decisions triumphantly.
Legal expert Ognjen Tadić stressed that Schmidt has now surpassed even his previous scandalous decision, which prescribed prison sentences for defying his will. This time, Tadić said, Schmidt did something unimaginable in any other country—he completely nullified the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Schmidt has outdone himself—he has assumed legislative, executive, and judicial authority in one act. That doesn’t exist anywhere in the world. It seems he sees Bosnia and Herzegovina as a prison, himself as the warden, constituent peoples as prison gangs, and the entities as prison floors. We don’t deserve this. Someone must finally tell that man to leave,” Tadić stated.
Radovan Kovačević, a delegate in the BiH House of Peoples, noted that Schmidt’s decisions are primarily targeted against Republika Srpska and the Serb constituent people. However, he warned, the damage affects the entire country.
“The more Schmidt is present, the less Bosnia and Herzegovina there is. The more Schmidt imposes, the more it becomes clear that BiH is not a state, but a delusion for those who want to believe it is. Republika Srpska knows what it is, it knows its path, and it knows that it has no future in such a delusional state,” Kovačević said.
Opposition parties in Republika Srpska reiterated their general stance against the imposition of decisions, but once again placed blame not on Schmidt himself, but on the ruling coalition, accusing them of enabling such interventions.
In the Federation, Schmidt’s decisions were broadly welcomed. Željko Komšić, Chairman of the BiH Presidency, promptly requested the Ministry of Finance and Treasury to draft a budget aligned with the OHR decisions. Nermin Nikšić, Prime Minister of the Federation, also welcomed both decisions. Rather than offering criticism, some Federation officials even called for further interventions from Schmidt.
The embassies of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands issued brief statements, claiming Schmidt’s decisions “strengthen democratic processes in BiH.” But the actual effect, according to Nenad Stevandić, President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, is the exact opposite.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina has been driven into a senseless, pre-war state that benefits no one. Schmidt continues to hammer nails into the coffin of coexistence and peace in this country,” Stevandić concluded.
As a reminder, Schmidt’s latest decisions include authorizing the withdrawal of BAM 120 million from the single account—specifically from Republika Srpska’s share—to pay off a debt to the Slovenian company Viadukt, and directing the Central Bank of BiH to allocate funds for new election technology.
Source: RTRS
