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Between law and loyalty: Milorad Dodik and the challenge to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s statehood

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a key challenge. Will it manage to preserve its constitutional order or will the political will of one man prevail over the state’s laws and international obligations? Milorad Dodik is not just a symptom of the problem, but its embodiment.

he political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is currently facing its deepest institutional and legal crisis since the end of the war. Deep divisions are present at all levels of government and are most evident in the political moves of Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of BiH. Dodik has become a key political actor whose actions often cause divisions both within and outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

July 8, 2025 - Samir Comaga - AnalysisIssue 4 2025Magazine

The political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is currently facing its deepest institutional and legal crisis since the end of the war. Deep divisions are present at all levels of government and are most evident in the political moves of Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of BiH. Photo: Presidential Executive Office of Russia (CC) commons.wikimedia.org

At the heart of the current crisis is a decision made by the country’s court, which issued an arrest warrant for Dodik on suspicion of committing the criminal offence of attacking the constitutional order. The order was issued after the suspects did not appear at the hearing before the BiH Prosecutor’s Office.

Although the arrest warrant was clearly directed and executed on the basis of the law, Dodik continued to openly challenge the jurisdiction of the judicial institutions, moving freely within BiH, more precisely Republika Srpska, but also beyond its borders. Attempted arrests, such as the one in East Sarajevo, had no repercussions on the ground. As a result, Dodik continued to freely cross the border despite all legal orders. This open challenge to the authority of the country’s judicial bodies has created a situation in which the functionality and stability of the state and its basic institutions are put into question.

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