Christian Schmidt Fears Dodik Will Try to Split Bosnia
In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, the former High Representative says the election changed nothing and is already asking the European Union for tools to respond.
Christian Schmidt, the former High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has given his first assessment of the general election held on October 4, 2026. It concerns Serbia too, because he refers to events in Serbia and Republika Srpska. In an interview with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk, published on October 7, Schmidt said the outcome is not what he had hoped for, and he is already asking the European Union for a way to respond to what he expects in the coming year.
What did Schmidt say about the election result?
In his view, the election confirmed that the country’s conflicts continue. As B92 reports, Schmidt said:
“The outcome of the election in Bosnia has shown us that the basic lines of conflict in Bosnia continue. This outcome will make the country’s path to the EU structurally and systemically harder, and partly impossible.”
As the good news, he pointed out that this is, as he put it, still a kind of new beginning. He rated the electoral procedure positively and mentioned his own contribution to it:
“The election was fair, and the reforms of the electoral system, which are associated with my name, have shown their effect. That does not solve every problem, but it increases citizens’ trust.”
Schmidt also claims that every voter was identified by fingerprint and that nobody could vote more than once.
Why does Schmidt criticize the opposition in Republika Srpska?
For the convincing win of the SNSD, led by Milorad Dodik, Schmidt blames the opposition, above all its leading candidate Drasko Stanivukovic, the mayor of Banja Luka. Schmidt told Deutschlandfunk:
“Unfortunately, we have to state that the opposition, especially with its leading candidate Drasko Stanivukovic, the mayor of Banja Luka, was not able to offer a real alternative.”
He framed his advice to the opposition as a rule of electoral politics:
“You cannot beat Dodik by trying to be a ‘better nationalist.’ You have to offer an alternative, because, as they say in politics: in the end, voters always choose the original.”
Schmidt also leveled a heavier charge at Stanivukovic. He claims Stanivukovic paid tribute to Ratko Mladic at a time when celebrations in honor of Mladic were being held in Serbia and Republika Srpska. This is Schmidt’s claim, not an established fact.
Of the system in the entity, he said it “carries within it a significant element of corruption and crime.”
What does Schmidt expect in the coming year?
He made his forecast bluntly, and with it a demand addressed to Brussels:
“I fear that in the coming year we will see Dodik’s attempts to tear apart and divide the country. That is why I am asking now for European Union tools, a way in which to react.”
He added right away:
“There will be a decisive showdown. At that point we must react clearly, sharply and unambiguously, it cannot go on like this!”
In the same interview, Schmidt also spoke about Dodik’s foreign ties. According to him, Dodik has by his own account been to see Russian President Vladimir Putin at least 30 times, while at the same time thanking the American administration for lifting sanctions. Schmidt’s own words were: “By his own account, he sat on Vladimir Putin’s lap certainly 30 times.”
Schmidt addressed his request for tools to the European Union, and the interview published on October 7 does not show how Brussels will answer it.
