SCHMIDT'S ATTEMPT TO ELIMINATE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA PRESIDENT FROM POLITICAL LIFE

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 27 /SRNA/ - Secretary General of the Republika Srpska President Jelena Pajić Baštinac has said that Christian Schmidt's attempt to impose amendments and supplements to the BiH Election Law has nothing to do with increasing the integrity of the election process, but with the elimination of the legally and legitimately elected President of Srpska Milorad Dodik from political life even before the end of the quasi-judicial proceeding.

"With his decision to impose amendments and supplements to the BiH Election Law, Christian Schmidt is trying to complete the work that he started by imposing amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, and continued by starting a political trial of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik before the BiH Court," said Baštinac in a written statement. She pointed out that, unfortunately, technical changes that should increase the integrity of the voting are only a cover for the true intentions of this German citizen. "The real goal of the attempt to impose the law is Article 8, which amends and supplements Article 1.10 of the BiH Election Law which completes the construction for eliminating President Dodik from political life," said Baštinac. She explained that this article gives the right to the BiH Central Election Commission to revoke the mandate of an elected person before the end of their mandate, on a day a verdict that imposes a security measure, banning a person from performing their duties, becomes final, or the day a conviction is handed down the legal consequence of which is the termination of their official duties. "Technical changes that Christian Schmidt talked about could only be applied in the 2026 elections, and they are not the real reason for trying to impose amendments to the BiH Election Law, the real reason is Article 8 of the BiH Election Law," said Baštinac. She reminded that the President of Srpska is on trial for not implementing the high representative's decisions, adding that the position that Republika Srpska will not accept the imposition of laws by an illegal high representative has been known for a long time. "It is clear to everyone who has read the text of the attempt to impose amendments and supplements to the BiH Election Law that these amendments have nothing to do with increasing the integrity of the election process, but with the elimination from the political life of the legally and legitimately elected President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, even before the end of the quasi-judicial proceeding," she concluded.