The main board of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the ruling party in Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, on Sunday unanimously rejected a state court ruling against entity president Milorad Dodik, calling it politically motivated and a threat to the will of the Serb people.
Following a party meeting in Banja Luka, SNSD officials proposed the formation of a government of national unity in Republika Srpska and offered to make all public positions available to the opposition in a bid to strengthen political cohesion.
“The verdict against Dodik is a verdict against the Serb people,” said Željka Cvijanović, the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency and SNSD vice-president. She described the ruling as a violation of both the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that of Republika Srpska.
Dodik, who was not present at the press conference, later accused the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina of yielding to political pressure. “This ruling is not based on law, but on political calculation,” he said in a televised statement.
The state court had recently delivered a final verdict against Dodik, prompting the Central Election Commission (CIK) to launch proceedings that could lead to the termination of his mandate. CIK officials confirmed they had received the ruling and were reviewing next steps under Bosnia’s electoral law.
Opposition parties in Republika Srpska have so far declined to support early elections. Former constitutional judge Blagoje Bubić argued the verdict undermines the legal foundations of the entity, while some legal experts say new elections must be held within 90 days if Dodik’s mandate is revoked.
The ruling has deepened political tensions in Bosnia, which remains ethnically divided nearly three decades after its 1992–1995 war. Dodik has long challenged the authority of state institutions and pushed for greater autonomy—or even secession—of Republika Srpska from Bosnia.