MAZALICA: OPPOSITION BEHAVIOR - REFLECTION OF INTERNAL TURBULENCE AND DISORIENTATION

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 23 /SRNA/ - The Head of the SNSD Caucus in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Srđan Mazalica, told SRNA that the opposition’s failure to vote at the special parliamentary session reflects internal turbulence and disorientation within the opposition parties, as serious political parties would not allow their voting buttons to remain untouched on the most important issue of the year.

Mazalica emphasized that the opposition’s debates at yesterday’s session were very weak and formal. “People from the SDS contacted me and said that the discussion by /the SDS Caucus leader Ognjen/ Bodiroga was not in line with their program documents. A completely lost and disoriented party, along with /the leader of the Justice and Order Caucus, Nebojša/ Vukanović, who continues to terrorize the National Assembly with circus-like behavior. /PDP Caucus leader Igor/ Crnadak spoke mainly to highlight himself and complicate the likely expulsion process from the party that will probably be initiated by party president Draško Stanivuković,” Mazalica assessed. He reiterated that the special session discussed very important topic, the most important of the year, because a coup against the Constitution of Republika Srpska had been carried out, and he believes the opposition should have taken a clear position, given that it supported the laws in connection with which the Court of BiH ruled against Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik. Mazalica stated that the minimum standard of political responsibility and ethics at this moment required them to at least formally support and participate in the conclusions, which they declined. "I told them they should at least support the conclusion that the Constitution of Republika Srpska was violated, and not only that, but that the entire constitutional-legal order of Republika Srpska and BiH was undermined by the actions of Christian Schmidt, the unconstitutional Court of BiH, and the Central Election Commission. This was concluded by the National Assembly also after the removal of former Republika Srpska President Nikola Poplašen from office, which they reference, and at the very least, they should have been consistent on that," Mazalica emphasized. He noted that the opposition could have requested to separate the conclusions and vote for those they found acceptable, but they chose not to participate at all, which shows that someone from outside is influencing their decision-making. The National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted on Friday evening a decision to hold a referendum regarding the ruling of the unconstitutional Court of BiH against Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and the decision of the Central Election Commission of BiH to terminate the mandate of President Dodik, setting the referendum date for October 25. The referendum question reads: "Do you accept the decisions of the unelected foreigner, Christian Schmidt, and the verdicts of the unconstitutional Court of BiH against the President of Republika Srpska, as well as the decision of the CEC to terminate the mandate of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik?"