RS assembly in favor of referendum on "imposed decisions"

RS assembly in favor of referendum on "imposed decisions"

After two days of heated debate on the bill initiated by the president of the Serb entity in Bosbia, RS, Milorad Dodik, 45 deputies votes in favor, while there were no votes against. 31 deputies abstained, while those from the "Homeland" coalition left the hall before the vote in protest, reported the Fena agency.

Based on Dodik's proposal, the referendum question that the citizens will vote on reads as follows:

"Do you support the unconstitutional and illegal imposition of laws by the High Representative of the international community, and in particular the imposed law on the Court and the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the implementation of their decisions in the territory of Republika Srpska (the Serb Republic)?".

An SNSD amendment has also been adopted, stating that the referendum will be held on the first Sunday after the expiry of 50 days from the date of entry into force of the decision on the referendum.

The decision will, as provided in the adopted amendment, enter into force on the eighth day after its publication in the Official Gazette of the RS.

However, in order for the parliamentary decision to come into force, it must be confirmed by the RS Council of Peoples, where it will not be supported by the Bosniak Club, said Fena.

During the debate, the opposition emphasized that they are also not satisfied with the work of state judicial institutions, but stood against "Dodik and the RS authorities' manipulation of citizens by means of a referendum."

On the other hand, Dodik assured that the Dayton Agreement and the Constitution of the RS give the entity the right to organize and conduct a referendum in its territory, rejecting as unfounded the claims of some representatives of the international community that the RS has no right to such a move.

Dodik called the decision to hold the referendum "historic," while the opposition believes that the RS authorities are using it as a means of pressure on international representatives as "structural dialogue" continues, and say the plebiscite will not be held - "as the one in 2011 was never held," concludes Fena.

The decision of the RS National Assembly was met with criticism from representatives of foreign missions, diplomatic representative offices, political representatives and analysts in Bosnia's second, Muslim-Croat entity (FBiH), who believe that it is "an assault on the sovereignty and integrity of the state."

The U.S. embassy in Sarajevo said on Thursday it "opposes this referendum and any preparation for it as as a violation of the Dayton Peace Accords, and because we fear the repercussions it will have for the people in the RS and for Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole," and added:

"We are engaging relevant U.S. government departments and agencies to determine an appropriate response to those responsible for creating this political provocation"