KARAN'S VICTORY HAS BOOMERANG EFFECT ON THOSE PURSUING DODIK

BELGRADE, NOVEMBER 25 /SRNA/ – Professor Emeritus Nenad Kecmanović said that the outcome of the early presidential election in Republika Srpska and the victory of Siniša Karan confirmed the unity of the government and the people in Srpska, while producing a boomerang effect for those who have been pursuing Milorad Dodik.

"Christian Schmidt himself—who on Sunday rushed to Bijeljina hoping to influence the election outcome, only to turn back halfway to Sarajevo - once again ended up as a tragicomic figure stumbling across Bosnia’s uneven political terrain," Kecmanović told SRNA.

He said that the election was imposed by the OHR–PIC–CIK mechanism, adding that Karan's victory represents a continuation of the political course that has defended Republika Srpska for more than a decade.

Kecmanović stressed that Dodik's withdrawal from the presidential post was a symbolic concession, noting that under the Constitution of Republika Srpska the center of political power rests with the parliament and the government, and ultimately with the strongest political party.

"In the shadow of the spectacular annulment of decisions by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska and the lifting of sanctions, the key point of the Donald Trump–Dodik agreement was overlooked - that is, the UN Security Council conclusion calling for an equal, consensus-based dialogue among the three national sides," Kecmanović said.

Kecmanović noted that Dodik has already announced plans to initiate a meeting with HDZ BiH President Dragan Čović and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegović.

According to him, both among Bosniak political counterparts and a segment of the collective West there exists a form of respectful fear toward Dodik - fear of his unpredictable reactions and respect for his consistent ability to outmaneuver them.

"This time, in what seemed like highly coordinated action, his opponents were convinced they had finally brought him down. Now they are disappointed, dejected, and turning their frustration against their own ineffective politicians - those who constantly shift from Washington to Berlin, linked to Germany by alliances in both world wars," Kecmanović said.

He pointed out that a struggle is underway between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over control of BiH, and that it is already evident who will fare worse, regardless of Schmidt's continued floundering or the recent visit by the German foreign minister to reassure him.

Kecmanović emphasized that at a moment when Dodik was nearly facing an international red notice, he managed to internationalize the BiH crisis and turn the situation in his favor, prompting all three great powers to agree in the UN Security Council that Schmidt is the generator of the crisis.

"In the coming days he will visit his friend Viktor Orban, and then travel via Belgrade to Moscow to present Karan as a new figure in his top team. Throughout the many trials Republika Srpska has endured over the past 30 years, enormous time and energy have been lost. Dodik keeps repeating: `Just leave us in peace so we can focus on the economy and development.` He is a politician and a political scientist, but by nature an entrepreneur," Kecmanović stressed.