Referendum in Republika Srpska: Why was it called and what does Dodik want?

The RS Parliament's decision, made in the 'small hours' by a majority vote of the ruling coalition after several hours of debate, followed a series of decisions by Kristijan Šmit and the BiH judiciary against Milorad Dodik.

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Dodik, Photo: REUTERS/Amel Emric/File Photo

Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

23.08.2025. 12:25h

Three decades after the peace agreement that stopped bloody war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), tensions in that Balkan country are not abating.

A non-binding referendum will be held in Republika Srpska (RS), one of Bosnia's two entities, on October 25th, with the question being directed against High International Representative Christian Schmidt, whose decisions and legitimacy are contested by Banja Luka, and the BiH authorities.

The decision of the RS Assembly, made in the 'small hours' by a majority vote of the ruling coalition after several hours of debate, followed a series of decisions by Schmidt and the BiH judiciary against Dodik.

"Do you accept the decisions of the unelected foreigner Christian Schmidt and the unconstitutional verdict of the Court of BiH against the President of Republika Srpska, as well as the decision of the Election Commission of BiH to revoke the mandate of the President of Republika Srpska?" reads the referendum question.

Of the 65 MPs present, 50 voted in favor of calling a referendum, with no one against or abstaining.

The ruling majority, led by Dodik's party, claims that the decisions of Schmidt and the BiH authorities lead not only to the abolition of the existing rights of Republika Srpska, but also to its very existence, and therefore, they say, they do not even recognize them.

Some opposition MPs left the chamber immediately before the vote, while others remained in it but did not speak out.

The RS Assembly also adopted a series of conclusions, including that Milorad Dodik, who was stripped of his mandate as President of the RS by the BiH authorities, is still considered the legitimate head of that entity, and that no early elections for the President of the Republic will be held under the organization of the electoral bodies of the central government in BiH.

All political factors in the RS, political parties and individuals, are requested not to register for any early elections for the President of the RS, reads the adopted decision.

"We believe that Milorad Dodik is still the president of the RS and that the possibility of holding early elections should be rejected," said Srđan Mazalica, head of the parliamentary group of Dodik's party.

Dodik said that RS "needs to reaffirm the right to self-determination, our destiny should be in our own hands."

"The right to self-determination is not just the right to independence, but the right to decide on our own status," he specified.

He also said that he would "leave politics" the moment all parties unite, including the opposition, and say that "there will be no elections organized by the Central Election Commission of BiH."

"The RS Assembly would meet in a week and make a decision on when the presidential elections would be held, which would be conducted by the Republic Election Commission of Republika Srpska."

"I'm leaving politics then," Dodik said.

Why is a referendum being organized in RS?

In mid-August 2025, it was confirmed The decision of the Court of BiH that Milorad Dodik can no longer hold the office of President of the RS, to which it is elected in October 2022.

Dodik was stripped of his mandate by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina following a final verdict by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which sentenced to one year in prison and a six-year ban on political activity due to non-compliance with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community, Christian Schmidt.

Although he reiterates that he does not recognize the courts of BiH, Dodik nevertheless complied with the decision - instead of a prison sentence, he agreed to pay a fine, or rather, he 'bought' his freedom.

This is precisely the fact that opposition party MPs emphasized during the debate in the RS Parliament on calling a referendum.

"Dodik said he doesn't recognize the courts of BiH, and then he paid the fine, which means he still recognizes them, so why would we call a referendum then?" asked one of the opposition MPs.

"It never occurs to us to participate in usurpations and lawlessness by following the adventures of Milorad Dodik."

"This is his end, he is aware of it and he should be afraid of which of his associates will be the first to stab him in the back," said Nebojša Vukanović, an MP from the opposition Justice and Order List.

Dodik, who at the beginning of his political career advocated respect Dayton Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented himself as a reformer, said that Serbs committed war crimes during the war and that there was genocide in Srebrenica, he changed his stance as he grew politically and held the most important positions - Prime Minister, then President of the RS.

In recent years, it has often threatened by 'secession' of RS from BiH, although he never put it into practice.

He held the position of President of the Republic of Serbia from 2010 to 2018.

Until the election for President of the RS in 2022, he was a member of the Presidency of BiH from the ranks of the Serbian people.

Dodik maintains extremely close relations with the authorities in Serbia, primarily with President Aleksandar Vučić, and spends almost as much time in Belgrade as he does in Banja Luka.

He was also at the Belgrade Arena on August 21st to watch a friendly match between the Serbian and Slovenian basketball teams ahead of the European Championship, when some spectators booed him.

Dodik is a politician from Southeast Europe who has the best and closest relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dodik has visited Moscow several times, and the Kremlin chief has honored him.

Dodik has been for years under American and British sanctions due to, as explained, "undermining legitimacy and the hard-won peace" in Bosnia.

Dodik has repeatedly stated that he does not care about sanctions.