Minic resigns/The path is opened for the formation of a new government in Republika Srpska

2026-01-18 17:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Minic resigns/The path is opened for the formation of a new government in

Deputies of the People's Assembly of Republika Srpska approved the resignation of Savo Minic from the position of Prime Minister of Republika Srpska (RS), thus concluding the 29th extraordinary session of the parliament, RTRS reports.

The Collegium of the People's Assembly is expected to convene soon, at which the date and agenda of the next extraordinary session will be determined, for the election of the new Government of RS.

Minic returned his mandate on January 15, while the acting president of Republika Srpska, Ana Trstic Babic, announced that he would be nominated again for the mandate.

Minic was appointed Prime Minister by the People's Assembly of Republika Srpska on September 2 of last year. The mandate to form the Government had been given to him ten days earlier by Milorad Dodik.

This action was controversial for a group of deputies of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), who on September 9 filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court of BiH for the assessment of that decision-making.

Specifically, Dodik was stripped of his mandate as president of the RS in early August, after the Court of BiH sentenced him with a final decision to one year in prison (which he later bought out) and a six-year ban on exercising political functions, so he could not even propose Minic as the candidate.

According to the entity's Constitution, the President of the RS proposes the candidate for Prime Minister to the People's Assembly.

The ruling coalition in RS then claimed that the mandate had been proposed by Dodik, as president of the entity, although he was formally and legally no longer in that position after the final judgment and decision of the Central Election Commission of BiH, which stripped him of his mandate.

Dodik then continued to claim to be the president of RS, but later changed his position and the RS People's Assembly appointed Ana Trstic Babic, his long-time advisor, as acting president.

The Constitutional Court of BiH already discussed the constitutionality of the new RS Government in November last year, but emphasized that it will make the decision at the next session, which is expected to be held next week.

What does the Constitution of RS say?

The President of the Republic proposes the candidate for Prime Minister within 10 days from the date of approval of the resignation, vote of no confidence or termination of the mandate of the previous Government due to the dissolution or shortening of the mandate of the People's Assembly.

The new government must be elected within 40 days from the date of the proposal of the candidate for Prime Minister of the new government. /REL