Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska, Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb majority entity arrived for a visit to Hungary again on Wednesday. This time, he is accompanied by Ana Trišić Babić, acting president of the Republika Srpska, and Siniša Karan, Dodik's longtime confidant and new president-elect. Biljana Gutić Bjelica, Bosnia and Herzegovina's ambassador to Hungary, is also part of the delegation.
Karan currently holds the position of Minister of Science, Technology Development and Higher Education, according to rtrs.tv. The Hungarian state news agency, MTI also reported on the visit in the morning, noting that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received the delegation in his office on Wednesday and announced that Milorad Dodik would be giving a lecture at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium during the visit.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had previously congratulated the SNSD and the president-elect of the RS, Siniša Karan on their election victory. Orbán emphasized that he has long cooperated with the Republika Srpska in order to establish stability in the region and that he would gladly continue doing so in the future. Before the trip, Dodik said that the Republika Srpska and Hungary are developing increasingly close relations.
Karan, who has just been elected in early elections, will serve a one-year term, with new elections set to be held next October. According to Dodik's camp, they have achieved a symbolic victory, but – as we reported – the turnout and the percentages of the votes may be warning signs for the Bosnian Serb leader.
Dodik was stripped of his mandate by the Federal Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the politician was sentenced on August 1 by the Court of Appeal to one year in prison, (which can be commuted to a fine), and banned him from holding office for six years for failing to implement the decisions of the High Representative. Dodik's appeal was rejected by the court on August 18, making his removal from the presidency official, according to MTI.
Incidentally, Dodik's first trip after the verdict also brought him to Hungary, to meet with Viktor Orbán. According to the Hungarian government's stance, Dodik was convicted because he "did not dance to Brussels' tune," so Hungary does not accept the verdict – although in practice this does not really mean anything.
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter!