Bosnian Serb lawmakers vote to suspend rulings of Bosnia's top court

FILE PHOTO: President of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic) Milorad Dodik waves as he attends Serb Republic national holiday, banned by the constitutional court, in East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic voted on Tuesday to suspend rulings by Bosnia's constitutional court, a move described by experts as a "legal secession" that is set to deepen political divisions in the volatile Balkan country.

The region's separatist pro-Russian President Milorad Dodik, who has long criticised the court for having foreign judges on board, initiated the vote after the court last week decided to change the rules to be able to convene sessions and make decisions without Serb judges.