The CEC has stripped Milorad Dodik of his mandate. You can read more about it here.
Below, we bring you the reactions of various officials from BiH, the region and abroad to the decision of the Central Election Commission.
We will publish the reactions in the order they are received, so you can follow them below:
Dačić: Anyone who thinks we will sit idly by is deeply mistaken
Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dačić stated that the decision of the CEC of BiH to terminate the mandate of President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik is not only legally and politically controversial, but also a direct attack on RS, but that the Serbian people will not remain silent in the face of injustice.
“If today they can remove the president elected in the elections, tomorrow they can abolish Republika Srpska itself. The Serbian people will not remain silent in the face of injustice. And anyone who thinks we will look at it idly is deeply mistaken,” Dačić said in a written statement for Srna.
Dačić emphasized that this is the biggest political attack on the Serbian people since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement to this day.
Konaković: Decisions of the Court of BiH and the Central Election Commission must be respected
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, said that state institutions are doing their job and that the decisions of the Court of BiH and the Central Election Commission of BiH must be respected.
“We have talked about this topic a lot, perhaps for too long. These are the topics that are preventing people from doing their jobs and filling our budgets. For me, that story is over, and I call on everyone to return to the interests of the citizens of BiH and to go about their business in order to justify the high salaries of politicians. We need to make people’s lives easier and keep young people in BiH,” Konaković concluded.
Mijatović: Dodik has finished his story, there is plenty more about him
The Minister of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Federation of BiH and a member of the Main Board of the SDP, Vojin Mijatović, called on the opposition parties from RS to work together.
“I call on the SDS and PDP, as the two largest opposition parties in Republika Srpska, to immediately begin establishing a new parliamentary majority in the RSNA. SDP BiH MPs are available without any ambitions to fill positions in the new Republika Srpska Government. Milorad Dodik has finished his story, more on that later. The government of the incompetent Radovan Viškivić must fall immediately,” Mijatović stated.
Đokić: CEC acted on orders this time too
The President of the Socialist Party, Petar Đokić, stated that the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, has full legality and legitimacy given to him by the people, and that the CEC’s decision will not change that.
“It is obvious that the CEC acted on orders this time too, and it has acted like that before. They cannot eliminate Milorad Dodik from political life in such a way,” said Đokić.
He said that the people of Republika Srpska recognize that the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, is the victim of a rigged process.
“The CEC BiH has long been an organ of politics that is incompatible with what should be the long-term interests of the people living in BiH,” said Đokić.
Mazalica: They are erasing the will of 300 thousand citizens
The head of the SNSD MPs’ Club in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Srđan Mazalica, said that the Central Election Commission of BiH has once again shown that it has stepped out of its constitutional and legal role, and that it is transforming from someone who conducts elections into someone who models the institutional framework and will of citizens in BiH.
– We had the first case in which the fourth delegate of the SNSD was taken away and the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska was encroached upon, and today in the removal of the mandate from the President of Republika Srpska, who was elected with over 300 thousand votes – stated Mazalica.
Košarac: Instructed decision of the CEC
– Today’s instructed decision of the politically motivated CEC of BiH is a continuation of political and legal violence against the institution of the President of the Republic, the constitutional capacity of Republika Srpska and the Dayton order in BiH – emphasized Košarac.
The CEC of BiH, says Košarac, continues to brutally violate the electoral will of the Serbian people at the behest of political Sarajevo and foreigners. The CEC of BiH is nothing more than a mere tool of foreigners to show off against Republika Srpska, which is also proven by the election of the 4th delegate from the Kinder-egg in the House of Peoples.
– The one who is happy about this certainly does not wish anything good for Republika Srpska or BiH. He humbly agrees to colonial administration in which even the little bit of sovereignty of the country is collapsing – adds Košarac.
Vulić: Look who sits in the CEC
The head of the SNSD MPs’ club in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Sanja Vulić, stated that the CEC of BiH is without batting an eye, erasing the will of the Serbian people and the Republika Srpska by taking away the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.
– The CEC is staffed by Serbs Vanja Bijelica Prutina from the SDS and Jovan Kalaba from the PDP. International subordinates, not people’s representatives – said Vulić to Srna.
She stated that they are suitable for a civic, unitary BiH.
– Their loyalty is not to Republika Srpska but to Sarajevo – Vulić emphasized.
Cvijanović: We are a democratic republic
Cvijanović told Srna that the SNSD has a responsibility towards the Republika Srpska and the Serbian people not to leave them to the manipulations of political Sarajevo and certain foreign centers of power that use Chriatian Schmidt as a tool to suppress the Serbian people.
– We will not allow them to humiliate the Serbs, the Republika Srpska, or our elected representatives by creating a state that is in the will of only one people. The platitudes that this staged political process is in the function of defending the state are a transparent screen. The intention is to create a state that is the opposite of the one envisaged by the Dayton Agreement, and that is the only truth – Cvijanović emphasized regarding the decision of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to revoke the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.
Kovačević: A verdict for the cat by the tail
SNSD spokesperson Radovan Kovačević made a short statement following the decision of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIK BiH) to revoke the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.
Kovačević says that Dodik received his mandate from the people and that only the people can take it away from him.
“See you at the elections. Next year,” Kovačević said in a published photo of a cat with a piece of paper stuck to its tail that reads: “CEC decision”.
Crnadak: CEC gave, CEC took
Vice-president of the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) and head of the PDP MPs’ Club in the RS National Assembly Igor Crnadak held a press conference. The occasion was the decision of Christian Schmidt, from 20 days ago, by which the RS entity lost 120 million KM due to the “Viaduct” affair.
He also says that “the period after Dodik and SNSD” will not have any harm to this entity and he is sure that the next government, no matter who did it, will never trade with the essence of RS and there will be no consequences for the people.
Regarding the CEC’s decision to revoke Milorad Dodik’s mandate, he said that he received a “brilliant message” that read: “The CEC gave it – the CEC took it away.”
He also commented on Dodik’s message: “What if I refuse” and said that he thought he would not refuse.
It is clear to the SNSD, he says, that no one wants to cooperate with them.
Orašanin: Dodik’s era is over
Mirjana Orašanin, a member of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska and vice president of the SDS Club in this parliament, spoke out after the CEC’s decision and the revocation of Milorad Dodik’s mandate.
“The era of Milorad Dodik is over! Those who brought him to power played the final whistle! He is leaving without giving an account to the people for his many years of work! He is going into political retirement, but not like our pensioners into uncertainty, but with full pockets, with his millions, hundreds of millions, and some say billions. “He is leaving without being held accountable for crime, corruption, destroyed public enterprises, an over-indebted country, impoverished both financially and demographically,” she said.
Dodik: Surrender is not an option
Milorad Dodik, who previously said that this was “the last s**t from Sarajevo,” now spoke out once again, again briefly: – Surrender and giving up do not exist. Surrender is not an option – Dodik wrote on X.
Arnautović: We act according to the law
Member of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina Suad Arnautović said that due to different interpretations of legal experts, doubts have arisen about the actions of the CEC after the verdict against Milorad Dodik.
– We make a declaratory decision according to the provisions of the law. As is the case under Article 1.10 of the Election Law, when someone dies, when someone resigns, and when someone is convicted. We act according to the law, there is no possibility that the CEC will not implement this decision – said Arnautović.
It is stated that there is a possibility of appealing this decision to the Court, after which it should become final.
– We have made hundreds of such decisions, we just wanted to clarify this. We need to know the difference between early and special elections. Early refers to the expiration of the mandate held by the person leaving office, while special elections are called for a period of four years, and unfortunately we do not have this possibility in the Election Law – said Arnautović.
Budimir: Persecution of the Serbian people in BiH
The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education, Željko Budimir, warns that we are going through one of the biggest crises in the history of Dayton BiH and emphasizes that it is important that all institutions, especially academic ones, are informed in order to have a unified resistance to the attacks.
– This is the legalization of the political persecution of the Serbian people in BiH. After the verdict, a series of activities will be opened that will be an attack on Srpska, its education, police, and property – said Budimir.
Gajanin: There is no such thing anywhere in the world
The university continues to work according to plan, but we call on all members of the academic community to be on a common front in defense of the institutions of Srpska, the academic community says.
– The academic community must provide support to the president and the institutions. I call on all political actors and the leadership of all institutions to understand the seriousness of the moment. Srpska has entered a serious crisis and is seriously attacked. I call for unity in protecting the interests of RS. If it is possible to recall the president, it is possible to recall anyone. This is not available anywhere in the world – said the rector of the University of Banja Luka, Radoslav Gajanin.
