BELGRADE, October 18. . The Parliament of Republika Srpska (RS, entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) at its 27th extraordinary meeting decided to appoint Ana Trisic Babic as acting president. 48 delegates voted in favor of this decision, 4 delegates opposed and there were no abstentions. Most opposition representatives did not participate in the vote, Radio and Television Republika Srpska (RTRS) reported.
The explanation for the decision noted that it was adopted in the context of unconstitutional actions by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Central Election Commission, which, by their decision, effectively deprived Milorad Dodik of the opportunity to exercise the powers of the democratically elected president of Republika Srpska.
The parliamentary decision, as already noted, is a mandatory measure aimed at preventing institutional vacuum and ensuring continuity in the work of government agencies. Speaker of the National Assembly Nenad Stevandić noted that “such a situation is not directly regulated by the constitution”, but the parliament has the right to resolve such issues when protecting the interests of Republika Srpska.
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, commenting on the parliament's decision, said on RTRS that he acted “fully in accordance with who he is – a democratically elected president”, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina “has challenged his authority, violating the constitution and all civilized norms.” “This is the basis on which they want to persecute me, because for judges, prosecutors and, unfortunately, some Serbs, it is important to deal with the idea of Republika Srpska. And since Milorad Dodik firmly defends this idea, that means the problem is with Milorad Dodik,” he said.
According to Dodik, the appointment of Ana Trisic Babic is a “natural and logical step”. “We agreed that this would be one of my closest associates – Ana Trisic Babic, someone who helped me and was present at every important moment. She, as acting president, should perform the functions of representing the republic, signing decrees and acting on behalf of the presidential institution”, Dodik explained, adding that he “remains and continues to do his job”.
About the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
According to the constitution proposed in the General Framework Agreement for Peace (Dayton Agreement), BiH includes two entities: the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (about 51% of the territory) and Republika Srpska (about 49%), as well as the Brčko district. Three main ethnic groups are proportionally represented in the government system: Bosniaks (Slavs who converted to Islam), Serbs (Orthodox), and Croats (Catholics).
The country is essentially governed through a high-ranking representative of the international community (a position established under the Dayton Agreement), who is appointed by the steering committee of the Peace Agreement Council following approval by the United Nations Security Council. However, in May 2021, the ambassadors of the countries in the commission decided to appoint Christian Schmidt (Germany) as the new high representative in BiH without the need for approval procedures at the United Nations Security Council. The leadership of Republika Srpska, Russia and China do not recognize its legitimacy.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's Central Election Commission scheduled early presidential elections in Republika Srpska for November 23. This preceded the commission's decision to end Dodik's power in connection with the ruling ignoring Schmidt's decisions. The head of the RS previously announced a referendum on October 25 on confidence in the leadership of the republic.
