After a marathon two-day session, late Thursday night, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (RS) adopted a new draft constitution and a Law on the Protection of Constitutional Order. The decisions aim to establish greater autonomy by creating separate institutions, including an army and a judiciary, and introduce provisions for self-determination and the right to form confederations with other countries, News.bg reports.
These steps effectively call into question the Dayton Peace Accords. The new constitution stipulates that the capital of RS will be East Sarajevo, while Banja Luka will remain the capital.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR), which monitors the implementation of the peace agreements, criticized the draft, saying it represents a "serious violation of the Dayton Agreement and the constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina". According to the OHR, the creation of parallel judicial institutions under the direct control of the National Assembly disregards state legislation and violates the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The draft constitution will be subject to a 30-day public consultation before being finally voted on by parliament. Meanwhile, the emergency law provides for the criminal prosecution of 21 crimes, including violations of constitutional order, espionage and sabotage. The law also criminalizes acts such as "obstructing the fight against the enemy" and "service in an enemy army".
Tensions were further heightened after opposition MP Nebojsa Vukanovic reported on Facebook that his car had been deliberately set on fire in his hometown of Trebinje. He linked the incident to his criticism of the government and claimed that he had been verbally attacked during the session.
The adoption of the draft constitution and the law comes a day after the Bosnian prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and two other people on charges of "attacking the constitutional order". Dodik has denied the charges and said he will not obey the state court's rulings.
Following the February 26 verdict, which sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and a six-year ban from holding the presidency, the National Assembly passed laws banning state institutions such as the prosecutor's office and the court from exercising jurisdiction in Republika Srpska. Although the Bosnian Constitutional Court temporarily suspended the laws, Dodik said they would be implemented in Serb-controlled areas.
In response to the arrest warrant, Dodik threatened that Republika Srpska would establish its own court and prosecutor's office, stressing that the first person to be indicted would be the international High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
The international community is closely monitoring the situation. The European Union has already temporarily increased the size of its mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in an attempt to prevent further escalation of the crisis.