Milorad Dodik, President of Bosnia’s Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS), met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Monday, days after Bosnia’s top court upheld a one-year prison sentence against him for refusing to implement decisions by the international peace envoy.
Dodik, accompanied by Bosnian Serb presidency member Željka Cvijanović, said Orban had offered strong support following the verdict. “Today I am visiting my friend Viktor Orban, a leader who stands firmly for democracy, sovereignty and the will of the people,” Dodik said in a post on social media platform X.
He added that Hungary’s backing was important “in the fight against judicial overreach and the abuses of the deep state,” claiming: “The end is near. The power of the people is returning to Europe.”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also voiced support, saying Hungary respects the sovereignty of Western Balkan states and backs their democratically elected leaders, including Dodik.
“Today Europe faces multiple security risks, not just from Ukraine, but also from instability in the Western Balkans, which is in our immediate neighbourhood,” Szijjártó said after the meeting.
Orban has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Dodik, calling the Bosnian court’s ruling politically motivated. “Dodik was convicted because he refuses to ‘dance to Brussels’ tune’,” Orban said on Sunday, adding that Hungary does not recognize the verdict.
Bosnia’s Court of Appeals last week upheld a February ruling sentencing Dodik to one year in prison and banning him from holding office for six years. He was found guilty of signing laws that had been annulled by the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the international body overseeing Bosnia’s post-war peace agreement.
Dodik has rejected the verdict, claiming it was orchestrated by the European Union. He said the Republika Srpska parliament would respond politically, and in February it passed legislation blocking the enforcement of BiH Constitutional Court and OHR decisions in the entity.
Bosnia’s Central Election Commission is expected to revoke Dodik’s presidential mandate on Tuesday. Under the BiH electoral law, it would have 90 days to call early elections. Dodik has said he will not permit such elections to be held.
Hungary, an EU member, has previously blocked attempts by Brussels to sanction Dodik for undermining Bosnia’s constitutional order.