Campaign Rally in Republika Srpska
MRČAJEVCI, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — Amidst a haze of cigarette smoke and the flow of hard liquor, platters of meat and cheese create a setting that might look like a family reunion. In reality, it was a political campaign rally in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The gathering took place on Thursday in the hometown of Milorad Dodik, who used to serve as the president of the Republika Srpska, a political entity within the country. Despite being far from the U.S., Dodik delivered a speech focused on the future of Republika Srpska. He expressed support for President Donald Trump and touched upon his connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Attended by the Daily Caller News Foundation, the rally was hosted in a local indoor soccer stadium. The atmosphere featured cigarette smoking, banquet-style dining, and traditional Slavic foods, including roast pork, cheese, bread, and Rakija, a local hard liquor similar to brandy. Interestingly, the Rakija served was from Dodik’s family brand, Djedova rakija. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Former President Of Republika Srpska Asks Trump To Support Independence)
During his speech, Dodik stated, “America is the globally strongest power. That is without a doubt, and we have a year and a little bit more to finish some business with them to establish ourselves in the right way, and that’s why I need a victory.”
Interestingly, Dodik isn’t seeking an elected position himself. Instead, he’s backing his colleagues running for various offices under the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), of which he is the president. However, he’s currently barred from holding any political office due to decisions made by former high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
Schmidt had removed Dodik from office after he attempted to change Bosnia and Herzegovina’s criminal code unilaterally, which included punitive measures against failing to enforce Schmidt’s decisions.
This action sparked strong backlash from ethnic Serbs in Bosnia, which notably led to the creation of a website called sanctionchristianschmidt.com.
The government of Republika Srpska, alongside Dodik, is known for maintaining relations with both the United States and Russia.
Dodik asserts he has solid connections with both leaders, saying, “What is ‘impossible’? Is it impossible for us to have open doors to America and keep the doors open to Russia?” He mentioned a recent conversation with Putin, noting that Putin valued Trump, despite skepticism from those opposing Trump.
“Our policy here of a small community like Republika Srpska cannot be anti-American nor anti-Russian,” Dodik remarked. He criticized programs from the European Union, suggesting they favor Muslims at the expense of Serbs and Republika Srpska.
With mass migration being a pressing issue in Europe, Dodik pointed fingers at EU bureaucrats, claiming they allowed too many migrants to settle in Europe. He and Željka Cvijanović, a candidate for a Serb seat on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency, plan to put a halt to this situation.
“Željka Cvijanović and I don’t allow them to do that,” he stated, expressing his firm stance.
Channeling a bit of Trump’s rhetoric, Dodik highlighted recent achievements in Republika Srpska. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Celeste Maloy Calls For Sanctions Probe Into Ouster Of Aspiring Country’s Leader)
“In the last five years, Republika Srpska has employed 15,600 new people,” he proudly proclaimed. “We’ve shown growth regarding salaries and pensions … not a single pension or salary has been late since 2006.”
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to unfold, Dodik argued that things could be far worse without Trump’s influence. “If that hadn’t happened, the world would look lost today,” he said. “I believe that we would already be in the third phase of the Third World War.”
