MAZALICA: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE SERB PEOPLE IN BiH -BEGINNING OF SRPSKA’S INSTITUTIONAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 23 /SRNA/ – The establishment of the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH in 1991 marked the beginning of the institutional and constitutional development of Republika Srpska, demonstrating once again the Serbs' state-building capacity and determination to prevent another genocide from happening to them, Srđan Mazalica, head of the SNSD caucus in the Republika Srpska National Assembly, told SRNA.

Mazalica noted that it was the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH, established on October 24, 1991, by Serb representatives elected in the first democratic, multiparty elections, that adopted the Declaration proclaiming the Republic of the Serb People of BiH on January 9, 1992, and its first Constitution on February 28 of the same year. "The historical significance of the National Assembly is reflected not only in the decisions it has made. Over the past 35 years, it has experienced war, peace negotiations, post-war reconstruction, political crises, and numerous institutional changes," Mazalica stated. He added that the National Assembly had always been the central institution of both parliamentary and political life in Republika Srpska, making it unique in BiH as a place for adopting legislation, democratically representing citizens, inspection of the executive power, and conducting political debates. He added that the 35th anniversary of the National Assembly was an opportunity to recall the historical responsibility of its founders, as well as the responsibility borne by each new generation of representatives. "The National Assembly must be preserved not merely as a building, staff and procedures, but as a means of politically expressing the will of the people and debating all issues important to citizens that they entrust to their elected representatives," Mazalica said. He noted that the anniversary should serve both as a reminder of the past and as an opportunity to think of the future. "The way we treat the National Assembly reflects the kind of future we want for Republika Srpska," Mazalica concluded. The National Assembly of Republika Srpska, the highest constitutional and legislative body within the governance structure of Srpska and the central institution of its parliamentary system, was established in Sarajevo on October 24, 1991, as the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH.