Committee adopts declaration on Vojvodina's rights

NOVI SAD The Vojvodina Assembly Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters has adopted a draft declaration on the protection of constitutional and legal rights. Six amendments were also accepted during the session in Novi Sad on Monday. Committee adopts declaration on Vojvodina's rights The Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina should consider and vote on the declaration at its sitting on May 20. The adopted declaration includes one amendment that was put forward by the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), and another five amendments, out of a total of 11, which were tabled by the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM). During the debate, much time was dedicated to the LSV's amendment to Article 2 of the declaration, stating that the autonomy of Vojvodina is a historical and natural right of its citizens who by their own free will decided that the province is a constituent part of Serbia. At their rally staged on April 12, the opposition parties said that the declaration voices separatist tendencies and demanded that it be withdrawn from the parliamentary procedure. They also called on the president of Vojvodina's provincial government, Bojan Pajtic (DS) to resign, so that new elections could be held. The committee adopted Monday the document with the amended controversial Article 2, reading that the Vojvodina autonomy is a historical and natural right of its citizens, being created and asserted by the assembly of delegates of Vojvodina's peoples held in Novi Sad on July 30 and 31, 1945, when it was unanimously decided that Vojvodina should join Serbia as an autonomous province. The article no longer contains the sentence: In this spirit, the autonomy of Vojvodina, as the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia guarantees, also implies the right to difference, including the decentralization of power, distribution of authority and independent regulation of certain affairs in the interest of the citizens of the province. Another controversial sentence was removed, saying that the disagreements between the provincial and central governments, concerning the financing of the province, started heating up by the end of 2012. Other SVM-proposed amendments that were accepted refer to Vojvodina's executive authority in public companies, such as the Novi Sad Fair, and the mining and energy sectors, which, as stated in the amendment, the central authorities have so far ignored. Bojan Pajtic stated that the adopted amendments improve the draft declaration but do not change its spirit. Ten out of 15 members of the committee voted in favor of the new text of the declaration, seven of them being councilors from the parties of the ruling coalition, and the other three - expert members of the committee: Momcilo Grubac, Stevan Lilic and Srdjan Sikimic. The votes against the document came from three members of the opposition parties (the Serb Progressive Party, the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Serb Radical Party) and the expert member of the Committee, Slobodan Orlovic, who was nominated by the opposition, while the MP of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia did not take part in the voting. After the sitting, councilors from the ruling coalition underscored that the amendments considerably improved the content of the draft declaration on the protection of constitutional and legal rights of Vojvodina. Opposition councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the adopted text and underscored that it is worse than the original one, announcing that they will vote against the document at the sitting of the provincial assembly. Igor Mirovic (SNS), the strongest opposition party in the provincial assembly, announced that the political fight against the contentious declaration will continue within the framework of the Constitution and laws. The Democratic Party-led coalition constitutes the majority in the Vojvodina assembly, while the coalition headed by the Serb Progressive Party (SNS), which was formed in the summer of 2012, makes up the majority in the Serbian parliament. (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Committee adopts declaration on Vojvodina's rights

The Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina should consider and vote on the declaration at its sitting on May 20.

The adopted declaration includes one amendment that was put forward by the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), and another five amendments, out of a total of 11, which were tabled by the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM).

During the debate, much time was dedicated to the LSV's amendment to Article 2 of the declaration, stating that the autonomy of Vojvodina is a historical and natural right of its citizens who by their own free will decided that the province is a constituent part of Serbia.

At their rally staged on April 12, the opposition parties said that the declaration voices separatist tendencies and demanded that it be withdrawn from the parliamentary procedure. They also called on the president of Vojvodina's provincial government, Bojan Pajtić (DS) to resign, so that new elections could be held.

The committee adopted Monday the document with the amended controversial Article 2, reading that the Vojvodina autonomy is a historical and natural right of its citizens, being created and asserted by the assembly of delegates of Vojvodina's peoples held in Novi Sad on July 30 and 31, 1945, when it was unanimously decided that Vojvodina should join Serbia as an autonomous province.

The article no longer contains the sentence: In this spirit, the autonomy of Vojvodina, as the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia guarantees, also implies the right to difference, including the decentralization of power, distribution of authority and independent regulation of certain affairs in the interest of the citizens of the province.

Another controversial sentence was removed, saying that the disagreements between the provincial and central governments, concerning the financing of the province, started heating up by the end of 2012.

Other SVM-proposed amendments that were accepted refer to Vojvodina's executive authority in public companies, such as the Novi Sad Fair, and the mining and energy sectors, which, as stated in the amendment, the central authorities have so far ignored.

Bojan Pajtić stated that the adopted amendments improve the draft declaration but do not change its spirit.

Ten out of 15 members of the committee voted in favor of the new text of the declaration, seven of them being councilors from the parties of the ruling coalition, and the other three - expert members of the committee: Momčilo Grubac, Stevan Lilić and Srđan Sikimić.

The votes against the document came from three members of the opposition parties (the Serb Progressive Party, the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Serb Radical Party) and the expert member of the Committee, Slobodan Orlović, who was nominated by the opposition, while the MP of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia did not take part in the voting.

After the sitting, councilors from the ruling coalition underscored that the amendments considerably improved the content of the draft declaration on the protection of constitutional and legal rights of Vojvodina.

Opposition councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the adopted text and underscored that it is worse than the original one, announcing that they will vote against the document at the sitting of the provincial assembly.

Igor Mirović (SNS), the strongest opposition party in the provincial assembly, announced that the political fight against the contentious declaration will continue within the framework of the Constitution and laws.

The Democratic Party-led coalition constitutes the majority in the Vojvodina assembly, while the coalition headed by the Serb Progressive Party (SNS), which was formed in the summer of 2012, makes up the majority in the Serbian parliament.