CITIZENS OF SRPSKA CONFIRMED JANUARY 9 AS REPUBLIC DAY

BIJELJINA, SEPTEMBER 24 /SRNA/ – On September 25, 2016, a referendum was held in Republika Srpska at which an overwhelming majority of voters confirmed January 9 as the Day of Republika Srpska.

At the referendum, where the question was: "Do you support January 9 TO be marked and celebrated as the Day of Republika Srpska?", 99.81 percent of citizens who turned out to vote responded positively. The decision to call a referendum on the Day of Republika Srpska was adopted by the National Assembly of Srpska at a special session on July 15, as a reaction to the disputed ruling of the BiH Constitutional Court, which, based on an appeal from the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegović, declared by outvoting that "the marking of January 9 as Republic Day is unconstitutional". The calling of the referendum on Republic Day was supported by all Serb deputies—64 deputies from both the ruling coalition and the opposition—while none of those present voted against or abstained. Republika Srpska was established on January 9, 1992, in Sarajevo as the Republic of the Serb People of BiH by decision of the then Assembly of the Serb People in BiH. Republika Srpska adopted its first Constitution on February 28, 1992, under the title Constitution of the Serb Republic of BiH.