Nationalist rhetoric instead of economic programs: Dodik demands RS be celebrated as a state

President of the BiH entity Republika Srpska and leader of the SNSD, Milorad Dodik, just over a month before the local elections in BiH, once again offers voters nationalist rhetoric instead of economic reforms for the recovery of this part of the country, which piles up new debts every day, Patria writes.

During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the SNSD, Dodik in Banja Luka called on citizens in this entity to celebrate Republika Srpska as a state, while for BiH he said it is not. Dodik also called on RS citizens to prevent the international community from having influence in the RS.

- The SNSD is close to a decision to reject the judiciary of BiH because it violates the Constitution, the Dayton Peace Agreement, and usurps the rights of Republika Srpska – said Dodik.

The entire campaign for maintaining power of the SNSD and Milorad Dodik boils down to trying to create unrest among citizens by propagating that Sarajevo and the International Community want to destroy Republika Srpska and that the SNSD is the only true fighter for the rights of Serbs in Republika Srpska. Dodik, however, does not cite specific examples of how someone is destroying the RS, nor examples of what exactly he and his party are doing to protect this BiH entity, except that the public debt of the RS has long exceeded the permitted limit.

Analysts warn that Dodik might ultimately resort to an attempt to secede the RS from Bosnia and Herzegovina, if he assesses that it would keep him in power, even though he himself does not know what life in Republika Srpska would look like the day after, Patria writes.