Dodik appears before court for challenge of international envoy Schmidt

Dodik, who is president of Bosnia and Herzegovina's majority Serb area, opposes the authority of Christian Schmidt.

Under the US-brokered Dayton Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia in the 1990s, Schmidt could annul the laws or dismiss peace threatening officials.

More than 100,000 people died during the 1992-95 civil war. Later, Bosnia was divided into two semi-aunomous regions -- the Serb majority Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croatian Federation.

Wednesday's trial is the culmination of a battle of wills that began when Christian Schmidt became the top international representative two years ago.

His predecessor, Valentin Inzko, introduced his broad executive competencies only once, right at the end of his 12 years in office. But Schmidt has been eager to impose his authority since the beginning, and Milorad Dodik has been just as keen to challenge him.

The 64-year-old leader has introduced a set of laws that have tried to delegate Bosnia's national institutions to Republika Srpska. The targets have included tax organs, courts and state properties.

He has also banned Schmidt from entering the region, even though the envoy has since visited Serb-run territory.

If convicted in this unprecedented trial, Dodik could face up to five years in prison, as well as a ban on politics, the BBC writes.