NATO's command in Sarajevo and the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR, said they were ready to thwart any attempts to destabilize the country after Republika Srpska officials said they would take radical measures if the president of the Serbian semi-autonomous entity, Milorad Dodik, was convicted, HINA reported.
The court's decision in the case against Dodik for disregarding the decisions of the international community's high representative, Christian Schmidt, is scheduled to be delivered in Sarajevo on Wednesday.
Dodik and numerous Republika Srpska officials warned that a possible conviction against Dodik would lead to radical actions. His supporters announced plans for two days of protests, while the opposition called for the protests to be boycotted.
NATO command said measures would be taken to prevent destabilization and stressed the importance of maintaining stability with the support of the EU operation “Althea“.
For its part, EUFOR said that despite the current stability, the mission remained ready to intervene if public order or the safety of civilians were threatened.
In a message on the X platform on Saturday, Dodik accused the US ambassador to Bosnia, Michael Murphy, of orchestrating the prosecution against him.
Radovan Kovacevic, a spokesman for Dodik's party, announced plans for a referendum on a new constitution for Republika Srpska, which he said would “eliminate the illegal decisions of the High Representative“. He called on citizens to participate in a rally in support of Dodik on February 25.
The Bosnian prosecutor's office is seeking prison sentences for Dodik and the acting director of the state-owned newspaper of Republika Srpska, Miloš Lukić, as well as a long-term ban on their political activities.