Throughout its 35-year history, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska has faced numerous challenges and difficult decisions, but has always remained an insurmountable obstacle to those seeking to undermine the Serb people and Republika Srpska, according to Slobodan Župljanin, President of the Association of Patriots of Republika Srpska.
Speaking to the Srna news agency, Župljanin emphasized that the National Assembly continues to play a central role in protecting the constitutional order and ensuring the stability of Republika Srpska.
“The National Assembly remains a permanent guarantor of the protection of the Constitution, legal and economic stability, and the survival of the Serb people and Republika Srpska, working in close and inseparable cooperation with other institutions,” Župljanin said.
He also argued that mistakes made in the past under what he described as unprecedented foreign pressure, influence and coercion should not be repeated in the Assembly’s future activities.
Župljanin calls for protection of Dayton Agreement powers and judicial reforms
According to Župljanin, the rights and responsibilities of the Serb people and Republika Srpska established under the Dayton Peace Agreement must not be called into question.
He maintained that future discussions should focus exclusively on expanding and improving those rights.
“Republika Srpska must reform numerous previously imposed reforms in various sectors, particularly in the judiciary, so that it can fully serve the protection of Republika Srpska and its people,” Župljanin stated.
He emphasized that an independent, impartial and efficient judiciary should form the foundation of future efforts to improve legal protection for citizens, Republika Srpska and its institutions.
Support for a new Constitution and Banja Luka as capital
Župljanin noted that the Association of Patriots of Republika Srpska supports proposals in the process of drafting a new Constitution of Republika Srpska, including the designation of Banja Luka as the capital and Pale as the historic seat of Republika Srpska.
“The National Assembly will have an exceptionally important role in the adoption of a new Constitution of Republika Srpska, which should remove existing obstacles to the development and strengthening of Republika Srpska in accordance with the highest democratic standards,” he said.
Pale to host 35th anniversary celebrations
Župljanin described the commemoration of the National Assembly’s 35th anniversary as an event of exceptional significance for Republika Srpska and the Serb people.
He welcomed the decision to hold the anniversary celebrations in Pale, a town widely regarded among Serbs as the historic seat of Republika Srpska.
“Pale is where the idea came to life and where the building of Serb institutions began. That is where we should celebrate and commemorate this anniversary,” Župljanin said.
“All Serbs and Serb patriots will be emotionally present in Pale today, regardless of where they may physically be,” he added.
Establishment of the Assembly laid foundations for Republika Srpska
Župljanin recalled that the establishment of the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH institutionalized the political will of the Serb people to develop their own sovereign identity through democratic institutions.
He explained that the Assembly’s primary tasks were to adopt the decision establishing Republika Srpska and to define its constitutional and legal system through the adoption of a Constitution.
“The establishment of the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH on October 24, 1991, created solid and lasting foundations for the establishment of Republika Srpska on January 9, 1992, under conditions of peace and stability,” Župljanin stated.
He added that these foundations also contributed to the achievement of peace and the recognition of Republika Srpska’s constitutional and legal status under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.
The National Assembly of Republika Srpska was established on October 24, 1991, in Sarajevo, originally under the name Assembly of the Serb People in BiH.
Source: RTRS
