President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik stated that since the people gave him the mandate, they will be the ones to decide his fate and the future of his position through a referendum, based on a decision by the National Assembly to be held in the coming period.
“The ruling coalition is determined to continue defending the constitutional and Dayton position of Republika Srpska, which has been seriously undermined by the actions of Christian Schmidt—who is neither legal nor legitimate, not confirmed by the UN Security Council, and who acts solely on the will of a single political bloc,” Dodik said after a meeting with coalition leaders in Republika Srpska.
Dodik emphasized that Bosniak political forces have exhausted all their efforts not to build something for themselves—but only to work against Republika Srpska.
“They spent all their political capital on one final desire—to eliminate me. Sarajevo’s political circles may have rejoiced for a day, but Republika Srpska has unified for the long run,” he said.
“I am here and will remain here. I will carry out the function entrusted to me by the people. I have no intention of leaving Republika Srpska. I will defeat them with their own weapon—politics,” Dodik declared.
He pointed out that he is being persecuted in various ways, but that the Serb people understand this is solely because he is president.
“I am not willing to sacrifice the interests of our people. Unfortunately, there are politicians in Srpska who hate me more than they love Srpska. That is why I have chosen to listen to the people,” he said.
Dodik stressed that the Constitution of BiH and that of Republika Srpska have been violated, and that a dangerous precedent is being set—overturning constitutional order via lower legal acts.
“They think they have won. I believe they have lost. The people must understand: this trial was aimed at them. They found no article of the Criminal Code to support their accusations, but still used an imposed ‘law’ to prosecute a constitutionally elected president. Serbs do not kneel—and neither will I. I will fight,” Dodik asserted.
He declared that better times are ahead for Republika Srpska.
“Bosniaks are pathological enemies of the Serb people. This decision destroys the Constitution, and without a Constitution, there is no Republika. The president is accountable only to the people under the Constitution, and they alone have the power to recall him,” Dodik said.
He recalled that under the Constitution, a president’s mandate ends only via resignation or recall—not via invented third methods.
“If I accept their decision, I violate the Constitution and humiliate the Serb people. I would be betraying our history and condemning us to despair. That’s why I will ask the National Assembly to call a referendum on whether I should accept this decision,” he said.
Dodik underscored that the termination of his mandate is unconstitutional and has no legal effect on a president elected in line with the Constitution.
He added that while the Central Election Commission (CEC) may confirm mandates, it does not grant them and cannot take them away.
“Their decision is unconstitutional and based on the will of a foreigner accepted only by the Bosniaks. They believe abolishing the Constitution of Republika Srpska is the best way forward. They blame us for surviving here. This migrant crisis is intended as a replacement for Serbs in these lands,” Dodik claimed.
He called on Serbs to unite around Republika Srpska.
“Some think that showing disunity is a political virtue. Let the people decide. The CEC is not competent over elections in Republika Srpska. They hijacked that authority from the people. We thought we could still rely on legal norms—but we were wrong,” he said.
He argued that the new electoral law and recent decisions are meant to override all institutions of Republika Srpska.
“If the Serb people accept this decision in a referendum, then Republika Srpska will have signed its death sentence. If they do not, we are ready to continue the fight—regardless of personal consequences. I swore an oath to Republika Srpska. While the people support me, I will stay here,” Dodik concluded.
He reiterated that the decisions by the CEC and the BiH Court are tools in a political offensive by Bosniaks against Serbs.
“They aim to remove everyone through this mechanism. I might be the first—but eventually, everyone will see what this is really about. Accepting this decision means accepting that Republika Srpska no longer has a Constitution. That is something we can never accept,” he said.
Background:
The BiH Central Election Commission unanimously voted to revoke the mandate of President Milorad Dodik, who was elected in 2022 with over 300,000 votes. The decision is subject to appeal and will not take legal effect until the appeal process is completed, which could take one to two months, according to CEC member Suad Arnautović.
Source: RTRS
