ABUSE OF THE VITAL NATIONAL INTEREST MECHANISM IS BECOMING A PRACTICE

BANJA LUKA, April 29 /SRNA/ – The National Assembly of Republika Srpska considers that the request for protection of vital national interest regarding the Law on the Protection of the Constitutional Order of Republika Srpska is not grounded in the Constitution of Srpska and that the vital national interest of none of the constituent peoples, as defined by the Constitution, has been violated.

This was stated by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the National Assembly, which at today's session determined its responses to the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska concerning the claims made in the request for protection of vital national interest related to the aforementioned law. The Committee believes it is evident that the request submitted by the Bosniak Caucus pertains to a potential constitutional review of the contested legislation and dissatisfaction with the legal solution itself, which cannot be the subject of proceedings before the Constitutional Court's Council for the Protection of Vital National Interests, according to a statement from the National Assembly. "Therefore, such a request constitutes a misuse of the constitutional mechanism for protecting the vital national interests of the constituent peoples, and this is becoming a recurring practice, often involving issues that do not warrant such consideration," the statement reads. The Committee emphasized that the Law on the Protection of the Constitutional Order of Republika Srpska is primarily adopted to ensure more effective protection of the constitutional order and governance of Republika Srpska, which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The session was chaired by the Committee's president and the Speaker of the National Assembly Nenad Stevandić.