Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Bosnian Serb SNSD party, said on Wednesday that Republika Srpska (RS) would respond to attempts by Bosniak representatives and the EU’s special representative, Christian Schmidt, to introduce new technologies into elections that, he claims, would favor certain outcomes.
Speaking to reporters in Laktaši, Dodik described the push as the work of an “organized criminal group” at the Bosnian state level, composed of Bosniak factions and international actors seeking to influence elections.
“They have already tried extraordinary and repeated elections for the RS presidency,” Dodik said, adding that Schmidt’s recent demands for 112 million KM (about $60 million) from the federal finance minister to implement new electoral technologies “have crossed every line.”
Dodik warned that such moves could undermine the equality of the country’s three constituent peoples, saying that Serbs in RS should have an equal number of ministers with decision-making authority, not substitutes, as Schmidt allegedly proposes.
Separately, Dodik addressed remarks by Banja Luka Mayor Draško Stanivuković about relocating some RS institutions, stressing that the seat of all RS institutions remains in Banja Luka.
“Stanivuković did not establish the institutions, nor build the RS Palace, so he will not move them,” Dodik said. “If the city administration thinks the RS authorities should not be in Banja Luka and wants a conflict, I guarantee that he will leave the building before we do.”
Dodik emphasized that the issue is not the buildings themselves but the representation and status of RS institutions.
“The current government, under my leadership, brought all institutions to Banja Luka. If that does not suit Stanivuković, that is his problem, but no relocation will occur,” he said.
Republika Srpska is one of two autonomous entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where power is shared among Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats under the Dayton Peace Agreement.