The one-year prison sentence and a six-year ban on holding public office seem to have caused serious punishment for politicians.
But the Bosnian leader Milorad Dodik made a verdict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The president of the Srpska region, the country’s majority republic, told supporters at a rally in the regional capital Banja Luka that there was no reason to worry.
He said his conviction for allegations that ignore the ruling of the High International Representative was “nonsense”.
Dock said he “learn to deal with more difficult things” and called the de facto capital to “be cheerful” to the crowd of the Spuska Republic.
The judgment is the culmination of a long-term conflict between Dodik and the International High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Schmidt remains the supreme authority of Bosnia, 30 years after the Dutton Agreement ended the Bosnian War in the 1990s.
The senior representative has the power to impose or repeal the law and fire officials from judges to political leaders.
Paddy Ashdown, a former holder of Paddy Ashdown, a former leader of the British Liberal Democratic Party, was fired nearly 60 Bosnian service officials in a day in 2004 to suppress their protections for war criminals.
However, in the following years, the power of the high representatives was much less, as international supporters in Bosnia gradually returned to hope that local leaders could work together to create a viable and prosperous country.
This strategy was not successful. The leaders of nationalism remain deeply ingrained in a country divided into two “entities” – the majority serves the Paispuska Republic and the Federation, where the population is mainly Bosnian and Croatian.
The central government is weak – there is little motivation to let the parties cooperate. Instead, their guiding philosophy is simple and selfish: division, domination, and profit.
As a result, the country is struggling with low wages, a slow economy and sustained migration flows, as they seek a better future elsewhere.
“Bosnians of all races are not united with their leaders,” said Toby Vogel, co-founder of the Democratic Policy Committee think tank.
“They hoped not to vote for these guys, but structurally, it was nearly impossible for politicians and parties across communities to come.”
Instead, leaders like Dodik are elected time and time again. The leader of the SNSD party previously served as Serb representative in the presidency of the three peoples and became the Prime Minister of the Srpska Republic for the first time in 1998.
A constant theme of his leadership was the threat of triggering division in the majority.
Dodik and his government have been working to undermine the state institutions of Bosnia and have proposed a series of laws to withdraw the Srpska Republic from the armed forces, judicial and taxation systems.
Such efforts ultimately prompted the High Representative to take action and repeal separatist legislation.
Christian Schmidt [decades] Peace, stability and progress”.
Dick obviously thinks it’s a challenge. He approved a law that declares that the Srpska Republic will no longer recognize Schmidt’s ruling. The High Representative has repealed the legislation and has made his decision contradict his decision.
This led to prosecution by Bosnian officials – prosecutors called for up to five years in prison and a 10-year ban to be elected for offices. Dodik warned that if convicted, he would take “radical measures”.
So far, his beliefs have not brought any fireworks. At this point, Dodik insists that he will not appeal. Instead, the Srpska Republic Government once again proposed legislation to withdraw from state institutions, including courts that passed guilty sentences.
Dodik, however, faces problems outside the Bosnian border. The United States and Britain imposed corrupt sanctions on him and his family – threatening the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and establishing ties with Russia.
Toby Vogel believes that it is more likely to threaten leaders of Bosnia’s service than a court conviction.
“The conflict with Representative High will intensify,” he said. “But Doddick is likely to run out of the road.”
“He used up his cash to pay for the swollen government…he could no longer raise funds in the international market.
None of this will be much comfort to those who have suffered for a long time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are still enduring endless waiting for the prosperity promised by national nationalists like Dockek. This latest court battle shows the distance to this prospect.
