IT'S TIME FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION OF SRPSKA

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 27 /SRNA/ - Milan Petković, a member of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, told SRNA that 34 years ago, with the adoption of the Constitution, the foundations of Republika Srpska were laid, but that the time has now come to adopt a new one.

Petković stated that all constitutions and laws evolve, as each era demands new definitions and more precise term formulations. He also cited the large number of amendments to the existing text as a reason for adopting a new constitution. Petković said that perhaps now is the moment and the right time for certain terms to be defined differently, or for specific relations to be regulated in a different way. "I hope we will get a new constitution. At the same time, we are grateful to the people who drafted the Constitution of Republika Srpska and who, 34 years ago, were members of the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH when it was adopted," Petković emphasized. He pointed out that they laid the foundations of Republika Srpska, which at the time was conceived as a state, but today is an entity within BiH. "When it was created, Republika Srpska needed a legal framework, and that framework, which was established at the time, in a way still exists in part today," said Petković, who is also the Head of the Serb Caucus in the House of Representatives. He recalled that a working group to amend the Constitution of Republika Srpska was formed recently, but that he is currently unaware of the stage of the process. Petković said that the Constitution is the highest political and legal act, representing the foundation of statehood and sovereignty, and that it must always guarantee human rights as well as the organization of the state and the separation of powers. The Assembly of the Serb People in BiH adopted the Constitution on February 28, 1992. It was unanimously passed based on the Declaration on Establishment and guaranteed full equality and equal rights of the peoples and citizens of Republika Srpska. The highest legal act of Republika Srpska, which, with certain amendments, remains in force today, was adopted before the outbreak of the tragic conflicts and the unilateral declaration of independence of BiH by Bosniaks and Croats following the March 1 referendum, in which Serbs did not participate.