Bosnia protests Hungary for hosting convicted leader Milorad Dodik as president

​​​​​​​SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Ministry said Friday it lodged a protest with Hungary after Milorad Dodik, who was removed as president of Republika Srpska (RS) following a court conviction, was officially received in Budapest as if he still held the position.

The ministry said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto hosted Dodik on Wednesday in the capacity of “RS president,” even though Bosnia’s Central Election Commission (CIK) stripped him of his mandate after the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced him in December 2023 to one year in prison and imposed a six-year political ban.

The sentence was converted into a fine, but the ban remains in effect.

“Minister Szijjarto misrepresented Milorad Dodik as president of the entity, even though, in line with decisions of Bosnia’s competent institutions, he no longer holds any official position in the country’s executive authorities,” the ministry said, calling Hungary’s move “offensive to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina” and contrary to diplomatic practice.

The ministry said Dodik used his appearance in Budapest to again push for secession and challenge Bosnia’s territorial integrity, while Szijjarto offered no reaction. It argued that Hungary’s reception of Dodik undermined mutual respect and created mistrust in Hungary’s political intentions.

At a joint news conference, Szijjarto reaffirmed support for Dodik, calling him a “legitimate leader elected by his citizens,” and he criticized Western governments for “lecturing, threats and sanctions” against Balkan leaders.

“Hungary, by contrast, respects the sovereignty and legitimacy of leaders chosen by their citizens, including Milorad Dodik,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry said Hungary’s treatment of Dodik as an incumbent official disregards Bosnia’s legal decisions, distorts the facts and violates the country’s sovereignty.

Snap elections set for Nov. 23

The Central Election Commission (CIK) said snap elections will be held Nov. 23 to choose a new Republika Srpska president.

Dodik said citizens would decide on his position and pledged an entity-wide referendum.

He has rejected the authority of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and its head, Christian Schmidt, appointed under the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992-1995 war.

In June 2023, the Republika Srpska National Assembly, led by Dodik, voted not to publish Schmidt’s decisions in the entity’s Official Gazette. Schmidt annulled the move, calling it unconstitutional.

After Dodik continued to declare that “RS will secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina,” prosecutors indicted him for “not respecting OHR decisions.”

The court sentenced him to one year in prison and a six-year political ban, later converted to a fine. The CIK unanimously confirmed his dismissal.