The Election Authority says that Dodik has the right to appeal and that a presidential election should be held within 90 days. The latest presidential election among Bosnian Serbs was held in 2022.
Dodik is the president of Republika Srpska, the Serbian part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has several times demanded that the territory be separated from the rest of Bosnia.
In February, a court in Sarajevo sentenced him to one year in prison and a ban on holding political offices for six years. On Friday, a higher instance upheld the verdict against Dodik, who can no longer appeal.
– I am here and intend to stay. I have no intention of leaving Republika Srpska, or abandoning the duties that the people have imposed on me, said Dodik to the media in Banja Luka on Thursday.
He added that he will announce a referendum on whether he should accept the court's decision or not. Dodik has previously received support from the populist Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic and Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban.
