Pajtić defends Vojvodina draft statute

Vojvodina First Minister Bojan Pajtic says that the province’s new Statute is fully in line with the Constitution. Pajtic said that the Statute would bring Vojvodina new powers and investment. Pajtic defends Vojvodina draft statute A two-week debate is currently under way on the draft statute adopted by the Vojvodina Assembly ruling coalition partners on September 15, and published on Friday. The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and Serb Radical Party (SRS) have been unreserved in their criticism for the draft statute, calling it unconstitutional, while the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and League of Vojvodina Social Democrats (LSV) are also unhappy with it, claiming it does not go far enough. The DSS and SRS see the new draft statute as a forerunner to constitutional change when it comes to the province’s status. By contrast, the LSV and LDP said that the new statute brought nothing new. Pajtic, however, said that it had been a question of harmonizing the statute with the new Constitution, which guarantees the province greater powers, and that, consequently, the new draft statute was in line with the Serbian Constitution. “The statute seeks only to take advantage of the kind of capacity that the new Constitution contains. We need to introduce new powers that we received from the new Constitution into the statute,“ said the first minister. “Under the new Constitution, provincial and local self-governments receive their own property, and that’s another thing we have to include within the provincial legal framework,“ he told B92. “We’ve also received the possibility of guaranteed funds for investment, that also has to be in the statute, we have some new institutions like the ombudsman, that has to be in the statute too,“ Pajtic added. The first minister said that despite the public debate, it was impossible to reach a consensus over the new draft statute, and that the criticism coming in from the opposition parties showed that they had dismissed the statute as separatist in advance. After the public debate, all suggestions and potential amendments to the draft statute will be submitted to the Executive Council. The draft statute will then be sent to the national parliament for adoption. Members of the provincial assembly will debate the Statute on October 14, and for it to come into legal force, it requires the authorization of the parliament in Belgrade. Bojan Pajtic (B92, archive)

Pajtić defends Vojvodina draft statute

A two-week debate is currently under way on the draft statute adopted by the Vojvodina Assembly ruling coalition partners on September 15, and published on Friday. The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and Serb Radical Party (SRS) have been unreserved in their criticism for the draft statute, calling it unconstitutional, while the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and League of Vojvodina Social Democrats (LSV) are also unhappy with it, claiming it does not go far enough.

The DSS and SRS see the new draft statute as a forerunner to constitutional change when it comes to the province’s status.

By contrast, the LSV and LDP said that the new statute brought nothing new.

Pajtić, however, said that it had been a question of harmonizing the statute with the new Constitution, which guarantees the province greater powers, and that, consequently, the new draft statute was in line with the Serbian Constitution.

“The statute seeks only to take advantage of the kind of capacity that the new Constitution contains. We need to introduce new powers that we received from the new Constitution into the statute,“ said the first minister.

“Under the new Constitution, provincial and local self-governments receive their own property, and that’s another thing we have to include within the provincial legal framework,“ he told B92.

“We’ve also received the possibility of guaranteed funds for investment, that also has to be in the statute, we have some new institutions like the ombudsman, that has to be in the statute too,“ Pajtić added.

The first minister said that despite the public debate, it was impossible to reach a consensus over the new draft statute, and that the criticism coming in from the opposition parties showed that they had dismissed the statute as separatist in advance.

After the public debate, all suggestions and potential amendments to the draft statute will be submitted to the Executive Council. The draft statute will then be sent to the national parliament for adoption.

Members of the provincial assembly will debate the Statute on October 14, and for it to come into legal force, it requires the authorization of the parliament in Belgrade.