Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity, Republika Srpska, has appointed Ana Trisic Babic as interim president. This marks the first formal acknowledgement that Milorad Dodik is stepping aside after being barred from politics by a state court.
The Republika Srpska parliament confirmed Babic’s appointment on Saturday, stating that she will serve until the early presidential elections scheduled for November 23.
Lawmakers also annulled several separatist laws passed under Dodik’s leadership. These laws had challenged the authority of the international envoy and Bosnia’s constitutional court.
### Dodik’s Political Ban and Continued Influence
Milorad Dodik, a pro-Russian nationalist, has long pushed for Republika Srpska to break away from Bosnia and join Serbia. Despite receiving a political ban, Dodik refused to vacate office. He continued to travel abroad and claim presidential powers while appealing the court’s ruling.
The US Department of the Treasury announced on Friday that it had removed four Dodik allies from its sanctions list. Dodik publicly welcomed this move as he campaigns to have sanctions against himself lifted.
Currently, Dodik is sanctioned by the United States, United Kingdom, and several European governments for actions that undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended Bosnia’s 1992-95 war.
### Legal and Electoral Developments
Bosnia’s electoral authorities stripped Dodik of his presidential mandate in August following an appeals court verdict. The court sentenced him to one year in prison and barred him from political office for six years.
The Central Electoral Commission acted under a rule that forces the removal of any elected official sentenced to more than six months in jail. Earlier, a Sarajevo court convicted Dodik for refusing to comply with decisions issued by the international envoy, Christian Schmidt, who oversees implementation of the Dayton accords.
Dodik dismissed the ruling at the time, asserting that he would remain in power as long as he retained the backing of the Bosnian Serb parliament, which his allies control. The Republika Srpska government called the verdict “unconstitutional and politically motivated”.
### Regional Support and Rising Tensions
Dodik maintains strong support from regional allies, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He has repeatedly threatened to separate Republika Srpska from Bosnia, raising fears among Bosniak communities.
These separatist moves prompted previous US administrations to impose sanctions.
### The Dayton Peace Agreement
Bosnia remains governed by the US-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended a devastating war that killed approximately 100,000 people.
The agreement created two largely autonomous entities: Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. These entities share national institutions, including the presidency, military, judiciary, and taxation system.
Tensions have surged in recent years as Dodik openly rejects the authority of the international envoy, declaring Schmidt’s decisions invalid inside Republika Srpska.
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