The draft constitution of the Republika Srpska will be subject to public consultation for a period of 30 days.
The Republika Srpska Parliament last night adopted amendments to the draft Republika Srpska constitution and the law on the protection of the country's constitutional order. Fifty MPs voted in favour of the draft constitution and eight voted against it, Srna reported.
The draft constitution of the Republika Srpska will be subject to public debate for a period of 30 days. The draft of the new constitution states that Republika Srpska has the right to self-determination and can join state communities with a federal or confederal structure with neighbouring and other states or groups of states.
The new constitution provides for the introduction of the army of the Republika Srpska, the abolition of the Council of the Peoples of the Republika Srpska and the Vice President. It is also envisaged that Banja Luka will be the capital of Republika Srpska and that eastern Sarajevo, with its seat in Pale, will be granted the status of capital. The draft of the new constitution stipulates that the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska shall decide on the application of the laws and acts of the BiH authorities on the territory of Republika Srpska.
The basic provisions define Republika Srpska as a sovereign, unitary and indivisible constitutional entity, confirmed by the will of the people and the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH, as an international treaty, as well as by the BiH Constitution. The Republika Srpska shall be defined as the State of the Serbian people and all peoples and citizens living therein. The National Assembly and the Government of the Republika Srpska may suspend the application of any act, measure or activity of bodies and institutions at the level of BiH which have no basis in the Constitution of BiH.
Laws that are not under the exclusive jurisdiction of BiH or that do not derive from an entity agreement do not produce legal effect in Republika Srpska, Srna stated.
It is envisaged that laws adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be applied in the territory of Republika Srpska only after they have been confirmed by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska.
As regards the territory of Republika Srpska, Article 7 states that it is unitary, indivisible and inalienable in accordance with the Agreement on the Boundary Line between the Districts, while the territory of the Brcko District is jointly owned by Republika Srpska and FBiH and this status cannot be changed without their consent.
The Law on the Protection of the Constitutional Order of the Republika Srpska, proposed by the President of the Republika Srpska, effectively protects the constitutional order and also provides for the establishment of a special prosecutor's office and a special court of the Republika Srpska.
In connection with this law, an amendment was also adopted by the SNSD parliamentary group, according to which the law establishes an Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order of the Republika Srpska with its seat in Banja Luka.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order of the Republic of Srpska, the amendment states, is responsible for carrying out tasks related to: collecting data and preventing activities aimed at undermining or destroying the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Srpska, researching, collecting, processing and analysing data and knowledge relevant to the security of the Republic of Srpska and informing the competent republican authorities and institutions about this data, as well as other tasks defined by law.
On the proposal of the President of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandic, a conclusion was adopted accepting the request for arbitration of disputes. I BGNES