MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Moscow expresses solidarity with the leadership of Republika Srpska, one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which continues to firmly resist Western pressure, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

The diplomat noted that the West is seeking to provoke domestic political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. "We stand in solidarity with the Republika Srpska leadership, which has been steadfastly resisting external pressure," she said, commenting on the partial repeat presidential election scheduled to be held in Republika Srpska on February 8.

Zakharova described the vote as yet another Western-initiated campaign designed to undermine stability in the entity.

Republika Srpska held an early presidential election on November 23. Sinisa Karan, a candidate from the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, won the race. The election stemmed from Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik’s long-standing political confrontation with the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the institution of the High Representative. Dodik, who previously served as prime minister and president of Republika Srpska and as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has consistently criticized decisions made by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Constitutional Court and the High Representative, arguing in defense of the entity’s interests.

After a Bosnia and Herzegovina court sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and barred him from political activity for six years, the country’s election authority terminated his presidential mandate. The Republika Srpska parliament first challenged the decision but later appointed Dodik’s advisor Ana Trisic-Babic as acting president. Dodik ended his policy of boycotting elections in September.