Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik, a senior police officer said, as part of an investigation into his alleged flouting of the country's constitution.
The announcement on Wednesday comes a week after police said they were seeking to question Dodik, who remained defiant and called on federal police to ignore the order.
However, according to the head of police in Bosnia, an arrest warrant has now been issued by the authorities.
It also includes orders to detain Republika Srpska Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and Parliamentary Speaker Nenad Stevandic.
"We received an arrest warrant for these three individuals," said Vahidin Munjic during an interview with local media.
"All police organs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, if they spot these individuals, are obligated to arrest them and hand them over to the state court."
Tensions have soared in the divided Balkan country since Dodik was convicted last month for defying Christian Schmidt, the international envoy charged with overseeing the peace accords that ended Bosnia's 1990s war.
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‘Unrepentant Dodik’
Dodik, who is the president of Bosnia's Republika Srpska (RS), remains unrepentant.
He helped push through laws forbidding the federal police and judiciary from entering Republika Srpska in retaliation.
The laws were later struck down by the Constitutional Court.
During a meeting in the Republika Srpska capital, Dodik appeared to pay little attention to the latest news concerning the warrant.
"We will continue to implement the policies adopted by the parliament," he said.
Bosnia's divided politics and fragile, post-war institutions have faced increasing uncertainty due to the unfolding political crisis.
On Tuesday, the head of Bosnia's federal police force, Darko Culum, an ally of Dodik, announced that he was resigning from the post and would return to work for the interior ministry in the Republika Srpska.
For years, Dodik has pursued a separatist agenda, repeatedly threatening to pull out of Bosnia's central institutions, including its army, judiciary, and tax system, which has led to sanctions from the United States.
