Milorad Dodik

Milorad Dodik
Милорад Додик
Dodik in 2022
8th President of Republika Srpska
Assumed office
15 November 2022
Vice PresidentĆamil Duraković
Davor Pranjić
Preceded byŽeljka Cvijanović
In office
15 November 2010 – 19 November 2018
Preceded byRajko Kuzmanović
Succeeded byŽeljka Cvijanović
16th Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
20 November 2020 – 20 July 2021
Preceded byŠefik Džaferović
Succeeded byŽeljko Komšić
In office
20 November 2018 – 20 July 2019
Preceded byBakir Izetbegović
Succeeded byŽeljko Komšić
7th Serb Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
20 November 2018 – 15 November 2022
Prime MinisterDenis Zvizdić
Zoran Tegeltija
Preceded byMladen Ivanić
Succeeded byŽeljka Cvijanović
6th Prime Minister of Republika Srpska
In office
28 February 2006 – 15 November 2010
Preceded byPero Bukejlović
Succeeded byAnton Kasipović (acting)
In office
31 January 1998 – 16 January 2001
Preceded byGojko Kličković
Succeeded byMladen Ivanić
President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
Assumed office
10 March 1996
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born (1959-03-12) 12 March 1959 (age 65)
Banja Luka, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnian Serb
Political partyAlliance of Independent Social Democrats (1996–present)
Other political
affiliations
Union of Reform Forces (1990–1991)
SpouseSnježana Dodik
ChildrenGorica and Igor
Alma materUniversity of Belgrade (BA)
Signature

Milorad Dodik (Serbian Cyrillic: Милорад Додик, pronounced [mîloraːd dǒdik]; born 12 March 1959) is a Bosnian Serb politician currently serving as the 8th president of Republika Srpska since 2022, a position he previously held from 2010 to 2018. He also served as the 7th Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022.

Dodik has been the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) since its formation in 1996 and has held several political offices within Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as the prime minister of Republika Srpska from 1998 to 2001 and again from 2006 to 2010.

Initially, both Dodik and the SNSD were viewed as moderate and reformist alternatives to the ultranationalist Serb Democratic Party during the 1990s and early 2000s.[1] However, since then, both Dodik and the SNSD have adopted a more Serbian nationalist and separatist stance, advocating for the right of Bosnian Serbs to self-determination.[2] His tenure has been marked by accusations of authoritarianism from his critics,[3] the undermining of federal Bosnian institutions,[4][5][6] and closer ties with both Russia and Serbia.[7][8][9]

Dodik has also controversially claimed that the Srebrenica massacre is a "fabricated myth",[10] and he has repeatedly denied the Bosnian genocide while praising convicted war criminals such as Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić.[11][12]

  1. ^ Vera Stojarová (2 October 2013). Party Politics in the Western Balkans. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-23585-7.
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^ Kovacevic, Danijel (14 August 2019). "Dodik Threatens Drastic Action Over Bosnian Govt Delays". Balkan Insight.
  5. ^ "Defying Court Ban, Republika Srpska Goes Ahead With 'Statehood Day'". rferl.org. RadioFreeEurope/RadioFreeLiberty. 9 January 2018.
  6. ^ Surk, Barbara (16 February 2018). "Milorad Dodik Wants to Carve Up Bosnia. Peacefully, if Possible". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Lakic, Mladen (9 October 2018). "Bosnia Should Recognise Crimea as Russian, Says Dodik". Balkan Insight.
  8. ^ Obrenović, Mladen (25 August 2019). "Umjesto da rješava probleme 'kod kuće', Dodik stalno uz Vučića". AlJazeera Balkans.
  9. ^ "Vučić i Dodik se obratili građanima: Hoće da unište sve Srbe! Prekinite da nas lažete!". Alo.rs. 21 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik calls Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 people 'a myth'". Sky News. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  11. ^ "U.S. Amb. Condemns Bosnian Serb Leader's Genocide Denial". genocidewatch. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  12. ^ Sarajevo, Hina, N1 (8 January 2024). "Dodik glorifies convicted war criminals, accuses USA of waging hybrid war against Republika Srpska". N1. Retrieved 20 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)