SELAK: DIRECT ATTACK ON DEMOCRATIC WILL OF SERB PEOPLE - MASS TURNOUT NEEDED AT THE POLLS

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 25 /SRNA/ – SPS President Goran Selak said that attempts from Sarajevo and parts of the international community to impose political solutions and choose the President of Republika Srpska represent a direct attack on the democratic will of the Serb people and the institutions of Srpska.

"It was not enough for them to illegally and unjustly 'shorten' the mandate of the legitimately elected President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik. Now they want to choose a new president according to their own preferences. We warned about this in time. The people must be aware of their intentions and stand united in defense of the institutions of Republika Srpska," Selak stressed. He called on citizens to mobilize and turn out en masse for the elections, stressing that the electoral will of the people is the strongest and clearest response to pressure, blackmail, and political engineering. Commenting on the decision of the Central Election Commission of BiH to annul the early elections for President of Republika Srpska at 136 polling stations in 17 cities and municipalities, Selak emphasized that this represents a direct attack on Republika Srpska, the Serb people, and their constitutional and democratic right to freely choose their representatives. "Just because the election results do not suit them, no one has the right to rewrite them or call them into question. Such actions by the CEC directly undermine public trust in the electoral process and the very foundations of democracy," Selak said. He stressed that citizens will once again clearly confirm what they already expressed three years ago and again a month ago - that a handful of individuals can never be stronger than the people and their will. "The people are sovereign. Republika Srpska has its institutions, its laws, and its people who know how to defend them – democratically, responsibly, and united," Selak concluded.