STEVANDIĆ: SRPSKA IS CHOOSING MOMENT TO ADOPT NEW CONSTITUTION

BANJA LUKA, APRIL 30 /SRNA/ - The Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly, Nenad Stevandić, says that Republika Srpska is choosing the moment to adopt a new constitution, which is its privilege and a way to prove its independence in making vital decisions.

"We are not doing this under pressure, coercion, or by order, but in a way that suits the people of Republika Srpska," Stevandić told SRNA. He emphasized that the working group for drafting the new constitution is continuously working to arrive at the best possible text, which would then be adopted by the National Assembly's Constitutional Affairs Committee. "The Constitution does not have the same time limitations as laws, meaning that more than six months can pass between the draft and the proposal, as it is the highest legal act," explained Stevandić. He added that they are also considering a referendum, given the disagreements that part of the opposition presents as part of an anti-national policy, which would be a much higher level of expressing the will of the people than a vote in the National Assembly. "That way, no one could say they were bribed or voted under pressure, as we've already seen various manipulative narratives from opposition colleagues. They did not participate in public debates, but we harmonized it with veterans' associations and organizations that came into being after the Patriotic Defense War, as well as the civil sector," said Stevandić. He reiterated that Republika Srpska will choose the moment and how it will adopt the new constitution.