Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 22/1/2026; Author: Elma Murić
What are the claims?
Christian Schmidt is not the legitimate High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina because his appointment was not confirmed by the United Nations Security Council.
What are the facts?
Confirmation by the UN Security Council is not a requirement for the appointment of the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Authorities of Republika Srpska once again marked 9 January as the Day of Republika Srpska on 9 January 2026, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina had previously declared the celebration of this holiday on that date unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the authorities of this entity organized a parade in Banja Luka that day, attended by more than 2.600 people, including politicians, representatives of numerous associations, and other guests.
The day before, on 8 January, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, reminded the public that marking 9 January represents a clear disregard for and failure to implement the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
These facts once again failed to prevent the unconstitutional celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska, nor did they stop numerous reactions and comments from certain media outlets in Republika Srpska and individuals who used this occasion to publicly challenge the legitimacy and legality of the current High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 9 January, the Republika Srpska News Agency Srna published an opinion piece titled “Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina Survived the Past Year – Will It Survive This One?” in which Christian Schmidt was repeatedly described as an “illegal” and “illegitimate foreigner” who had brought Bosnia and Herzegovina “to a stage of disintegration with no hope of recovery”.
In another article published the same day, titled “Serbs Will Celebrate 9 January Forever”, the agency quoted Dragiša Tuševljak, president of the Veterans’ Organization of Istočno Novo Sarajevo.
Tuševljak stated that messages coming from the Office of the High Representative claim that marking the Day of Republika Srpska is a criminal offense, but that veterans and the people respond by saying that there is neither justice nor rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina if decisions are made by a Constitutional Court whose mandate has expired and whose work was unlawfully extended by Christian Schmidt, who, according to him, was not legally elected.
These claims were also carried by a number of other portals (1, 2, 3).
Statements by “International Officials” Close to Milorad Dodik and SNSD
Similar claims appeared in statements by several foreign commentators, or individuals close to Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (Savez nezavisnih socijaldemokrata/SNSD), who, in the days before and after the marking of 9 January as the Day of Republika Srpska, publicly asserted that Christian Schmidt “is not legitimate”.
On 8 January, Banja Luka–based Alternativna televizija (ATV) published an interview with French historian Edouard Husson, in which he said that Schmidt is “merely an extension of what Germany has been doing in this area for decades”, adding, among other things:
If we say that Christian Schmidt was not legitimately appointed and was not recognized by the United Nations Security Council, then what I must conclude is that every one of his decisions is illegitimate.
Husson’s statements from the ATV article were also quoted in a TV segment published on the YouTube channel of Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) on 10 January.
On 8 January, ATV also published an article stating that French politician Jean-Lin Lacapelle told the station that “the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are suffering great aggression” and that he had recently stated at a roundtable in Paris, marking the anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, that Republika Srpska is “fragile and endangered by violations of various rights”.
Among other things, by Christian Schmidt, who was not legitimately elected and has no right to change laws or influence anything whatsoever”, Lacapelle emphasized, adding that it is scandalous that SNSD president Milorad Dodik was convicted for failing to comply with the decisions of a man who was not legitimately elected at all (…)
Lacapelle repeated claims that Christian Schmidt “is not legitimate” in an interview published by RTRS on 11 January, and the same day the statements were also reported by Srna.
On 11 January, RTRS published an article titled “Bosnia and Herzegovina Possible Only Without Foreign Interference – Clear Message from International Officials Who Attended the Celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska”, which effectively “compiled” statements by foreign commentators made before and after 9 January.
The article highlighted recent statements by Rod Blagojevich, a former U.S. governor who lobbies on behalf of Republika Srpska, including his calls to “cut funding for the High Representative” and to “abolish the position entirely”. Among those criticizing Schmidt was also U.S. lawyer Joseph E. Schmitz, a former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump, told RTRS on 10 January that “Christian Schmidt and previous High Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by imposing and changing laws, have eroded the constitutional order”.
What are the Facts?
The manipulative narrative claiming that High Representative Christian Schmidt is neither legitimate nor legal is based on false claims that Schmidt cannot perform the role of High Representative because his appointment was not confirmed by the UN Security Council. These are not new claims but rather a narrative promoted publicly for years by SNSD and a number of media outlets in Republika Srpska.
Raskrinkavanje, as well as our partner, a fact-checking platform Istinomjer, has previously addressed such claims in multiple analyses examining attempts by domestic officials and media to challenge the legality and legitimacy of the current High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1, 2, 3, 4).
Back in June 2021, Istinomjer pointed out that although it is true that Christian Schmidt’s appointment was not confirmed by the UN Security Council, such confirmation is not a requirement for the appointment of the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis also noted that there is no formally defined procedure for selecting the High Representative and that “although there have been instances in the past where the Security Council expressed its view on the appointment, there is no legal basis for such a practice”.
In an analysis published in August of the same year, Istinomjer also reminded readers that one of the previous High Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, was likewise not confirmed by the UN Security Council. In other words, while the Security Council has on several occasions expressed its position regarding the appointment of the High Representative, there have also been instances where it did not do so.
It is therefore clear that these are inaccurate and long-standing claims that have been revived ahead of yet another marking of the unconstitutional Day of Republika Srpska. As in previous years, they were promoted by media outlets in Republika Srpska close to SNSD and Milorad Dodik, as well as by foreign commentators who publicly advocate the policies of that party.
Alongside lobbyists such as Rod Blagojevich or Marc Zell, SNSD and Milorad Dodik also rely on other, mostly right-wing–oriented “friends and allies” – individuals who share similar ideological and political views and who strongly criticize the presence of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including by questioning the legitimacy of the High Representative.
Among them in January 2026 were Jean-Lin Lacapelle, a former French Member of the European Parliament and prominent member of the far-right and populist National Front, and historian Edouard Husson, also from France. In 2024, Husson led a far-right electoral list in the European Parliament elections in France titled “No! Let’s Take Back Control of Ourselves”, which advocated abolishing EU interventions in numerous areas of French policy, subjecting any EU enlargement to a referendum in France, and withdrawing the country from NATO.
Joseph E. Schmitz also traveled to Banja Luka with Rod Blagojevich in January this year. Schmitz is a former adviser to Donald Trump and served as Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense during the presidency of George W. Bush. His name has been linked to a number of controversies, including connections to the right-wing organization Center for Security Policy. Media in our region also reported this year on Schmitz’s political career and controversies.Based on the facts, we rate claims that Christian Schmidt is an “illegitimate” or “illegal” High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the fact that his appointment was not confirmed by the UN Security Council, as manipulation of facts.
