Bosnian Serb Ruling Party Plans to Pay Religious Officials

Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency and head of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the ruling party in Republika Srpska, has come under criticism after suggesting that religious officials' salaries should be paid by the entity.

If his proposition is accepted by the government of the entity, Muslim imams, Orthodox and Catholic priests and other religious officials will receive their paychecks from the Republika Srpska budget from the start of 2023.

"This is a step away from secularism," said Zarko Papic, a political analyst from Sarajevo.

Dodik made the suggestion on Twitter on June 28, writing that his party "will send a proposal to the government of Republika Srpska for all religious officials serving in Republika Srpska from January 1, 2023 to receive a guaranteed salary with accompanying contributions".

The following day, the Secretariat for Religion, which operates under the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska, sent an "urgent request" to all muftis of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina to deliver data on the number of imams in Republika Srpska.

Istraga.ba reported that the Republika Srpska government is now preparing a draft of next year's budget and already plans to include religious workers, even before the proposition has been voted upon.

Vojin Mijatovic, an opposition candidate for the Serb position on the tripartite Bosnian presidency in October's general elections, described the move as "cheap attempt to buy votes".

"It's a completely unnecessary move in times in which we have some 30 per cent of the population living on the edge of poverty," Mijatovic told BIRN.

The constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina describes the country...