Banjaluka – Republika Srpska officials agreed that the Republika Srpska Parliament should call a referendum on the decision of the BiH Constitutional Court to abolish Republika Srpska Day, January 9.
“Republika Srpska will continue to celebrate Republic Day on January 9, in keeping with the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays which does not contain elements of discrimination, does not threaten the ethnic and religious identity and the equality of any of the three constituent peoples, and is fully in line with universal values and the European Acquis,” says a joint statement signed by Republika Srpska officials.
The statement was signed by SNSD president Milorad Dodik, the Speaker of the Republika Srpska Parliament, Nedeljko Cubrilovic, Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic, the Republika Srpska member of the BiH Presidency, Mladen Ivanic, the Chairman of the BiH House of Peoples, Ognjen Tadic, SDS leader Mladen Bosic, PDP leader Mladen Ivanic, DNS leader Marko Pavic, SP leader Petar Djokic, and NDP leader Dragan Cavic.
The decision of the BiH Constitutional Court of November 26, which declared certain provisions of the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays unconstitutional, is an unacceptable political act the aim of which is to negate the legality and legitimacy of Srpska and the constitutional and legal order of BiH as established by the Dayton Agreement, and as such it cannot be implemented and must be voided.
“The decision was brought under the influence of foreign judges. This fact confirms that the Constitutional Court is not independent, and we reject any involvement of foreign judges in the court’s decision-making process and pressures from international representatives aimed at implementing this decision,” says the statement.
The statement supports the Declaration which the Republika Srpska Parliament, prompted by the request to the BiH Constitutional Court to assess the constitutionality of the Republika Srpska Law on Holidays, adopted on April 17.
“The decision of the BiH Constitutional Court of November 26 is in the service of revision of the historical events which led to the creation of Republika Srpska on January 9, 1992, which is absolutely unacceptable,” says the statement.
The document calls on the Republika Srpska Parliament to reject in the future all decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court brought by outvoting and which delve into Srpska’s status issues.
The signatories to the statement ask the BiH Parliament to adopt a law on the BiH Constitutional Court within 120 days which would stipulate that decisions are brought with the participation of at least one judge from each of the constituent peoples and each of the Entities and which would stipulate that no foreign judge can sit in this court.
If a new law on the BiH Constitutional Court is not passed within four months, the political parties will bring a decision if they will take part in the work of joint BiH institutions and will sign a joint statement to this effect.
“We agree that an analysis of all decisions of the BiH Constitutional Court brought since 2001 be made and that the Republika Srpska Parliament bring its conclusions on them, particularly on decisions brought by votes of three foreign and two Bosniak judges against the votes of other judges,” says the statement.
The joint statement calls on other political parties, associations, organisations, institutions and citizens to support the stance of the signatories to this statement.
Source: SRNA
