Fall from power: Bosnian Serb President Dodik stripped of mandate right after Orbán visit

Orbán Dodik meeting
Dodik and Orbán on 5 June 2025. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Főosztály/Benko Vivien Cher

The Bosnian Electoral Commission has stripped Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska, of his mandate following a ruling by the Bosnian Court of Appeals last Friday that upheld a previous verdict against him. Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from holding public office for six years.

Dodik stripped of mandate

At its Wednesday session, the Central Election Commission (CIK) unanimously adopted the proposal to revoke Dodik’s presidential mandate. Goran Bubić, Dodik’s lawyer, had previously announced plans to appeal the decision to the Constitutional Court and request a suspension of the sentence until a ruling is made. Dodik also has the right to appeal the CIK’s decision.

Under Bosnian law, the decision of the CIK must be confirmed by the country’s federal parliament, which must then call an early presidential election.

In August 2023, the Bosnian federal prosecutor charged Dodik under a section of the criminal code that allows for a prison sentence of six months to five years and a ban from public office of up to ten years for any official who fails to comply with, refuses to implement, or obstructs decisions made by the High Representative of the international community.

Dodik was accused of refusing to recognise the authority of High Representative Christian Schmidt by signing a law that rejected the institution and powers of the international envoy. The section of the criminal code in question was amended by Schmidt himself in response to statements and actions by Bosnian Serb politicians.

In recent months, Dodik has introduced several measures aimed at advancing the independence of Republika Srpska. In mid-March, he submitted a draft of a new constitution for the region, along with a bill aimed at protecting the constitutional order of Republika Srpska. For nearly three decades, Dodik has argued that the Serb-majority entity should become independent, claiming that Bosnia is a dysfunctional state.

Just after visiting Orbán

Interestingly, Viktor Orbán welcomed Milorad Dodik to Budapest on Tuesday. Dodik visited Budapest two months ago, when an arrest warrant was in effect against him.

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