Milorad Dodik, although he does not have the authority to do so because he is no longer the President of Republika Srpska, yesterday appointed a prime minister-designate to form the new Government of Republika Srpska. The prime minister-designate is Savo Minić, the former entity Minister of Agriculture. Minić will begin consultations on the composition of the new Government tomorrow. The RS government, obviously, does not accept the reality and the fact that Dodik is no longer the President. Can a Government formed by a prime minister-designate who was proposed by someone who does not have the authority have legal and legal legitimacy?
Although he announced it for today, Savo Minić will begin consultations with coalition partners tomorrow. He entered the Palace of the Republic as the Minister of Agriculture, and left it as someone to whom Milorad Dodik gave a mandate to form the new Government. Milorad Dodik, however, does not have the authority, legally speaking, to propose a prime minister-designate. However, the Republika Srpska government is ignoring this fact. In the long run, the opposition believes that this will cause enormous damage to Republika Srpska. Both politically and economically.
“A textbook example of false representation, because he is no longer the president of the RS and if you do not benefit from it, it is not a criminal offense. However, false representation and granting a mandate will question the legitimacy of the executive branch in the RS and leave unforeseeable legal consequences when it goes to the constitutional courts… He will have to bear the consequences,” says Nebojša Vukanović, a member of the Justice and Order List in the RS National Assembly.
“Dodik believes that he is the state, that he is the RS, and if he is not in power – that the RS should be burned. That is his approach. That is the greatest danger for us and that is why these people in the RS should show resistance to such positions,” emphasizes Igor Crnadak, a member of the PDP in the RS National Assembly.
The parties that make up the majority in the RS have already announced that they will respond to the invitation to consultations. Goran Selak, president of the SPS, says that he received an invitation to attend the consultations, and that his party expects a place in the government. Selak would not like to say too much about the legitimacy of such a government.
“They have institutions that assess the legality of every decision, we will let the institutions do their job,” he says.
While waiting for the consultations to begin, we are also waiting for the Central Election Commission to call early elections for the president of the RS, which should be held in the second half of November. Dodik has announced the prevention of holding such elections on the territory of the RS. With his mandate revoked and without him, it is clear that Dodik decides.
“It is an absolutely confusing situation, where everything about the fate of an entire people, an entity depends on the decisions of one man, and this is a paradox that, unfortunately, has lasted for years,” points out journalist Dejan Rakita.
The opposition in the RS, minus the PDP, has announced that it will participate in the elections. With how many candidates – it is not yet certain.
