Professor of constitutional law Siniša Karan emphasized that a referendum is a democratic shield, not a weapon, because the will of the people must not be ignored or subordinated to foreign interests, arrogant impositions, or blackmail.
“In democratic societies, a referendum is sacred. It is the direct, ultimate, and unquestionable expression of the sovereignty of the people. A referendum does not ask for permission, it does not wait for consent—it starts from the truth that power belongs to the people,” said Karan.
He explained that a referendum is not a call to dismantle BiH, but a clear message from the Serb people that attempts to create a unitary BiH will encounter a political and institutional wall.
Those who see the referendum as a threat, Karan told Srna, must understand that the real threat to BiH is their arrogance, force, and disdain for the Constitution of BiH, for Republika Srpska, and for the will of the people.
“Nine years have passed since the people of Republika Srpska declared loudly that January 9 is the Day of the Republic and that no one can take that date away from us. The 2016 referendum was not an incident, but the first step on our path in which the people directly dictate their will to the institutions,” said Karan.
He added that, just as nine years ago, so too today, the referendum is a way to fight against attempts by part of the international community, hostile uninvited diplomats, and political Sarajevo to challenge and diminish the constitutional autonomy of Republika Srpska.
“Today, in 2025, Republika Srpska is once again holding a referendum because it will not allow anyone to decide on its behalf. The people know that the main sources of problems in BiH are the illegitimate Christian Schmidt, the unconstitutional Court and Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, and the BiH Central Election Commission, whose actions are anti-Dayton and an insult to the legal order,” Karan pointed out.
He reminded that since the creation of the BiH state union, Republika Srpska has defended its Constitution, clearly recognizing that the BiH Constitution is an international treaty, not a colonial charter.
“The BiH Constitution is not a gift from Sarajevo, but the result of an international agreement, and it guarantees the balance between the two entities and the three constituent peoples,” he said.
Today, Karan stressed, 30 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement, a series of forcibly transferred competences has created an anti-Dayton BiH with unconstitutional judicial institutions aimed at defending illegality and building a unitary BiH.
According to him, the decisions of the people, expressed through elections and referenda, are final and represent both protection and a guarantee that Republika Srpska will not disappear.
“The decision of Republika Srpska to call a referendum for October 25 of this year is a response to the systematic attempt to dismantle the agreed constitutional order. It is a legal, legitimate, and constitutional act. But more than that, it is a political declaration of a people who will not renounce what is theirs and who refuse humiliation!” Karan emphasized.
He explained that Republika Srpska does not answer to international tutors, but to the people who created it, and that people have decided to say clearly no to the enemies of Srpska and the Serb people.
“On the ninth anniversary of the 2016 referendum, and on the eve of the new one, we clearly state that we do not seek the consent of political Sarajevo, various international brokers, or unitarists—we seek the opinion of our own people. That is the only permission we need. There is no force, no court, no embassy, and no false High Representative that can stand between Republika Srpska and its people. Once the people decide, there is no turning back,” concluded Professor of Constitutional Law Siniša Karan.
Source: RTRS
