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

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.