March 1st: BiH Constitutional Court's Decision on RS Day Has an Indelible Legal Basis

The "March 1st" Coalition welcomes the Decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which declared RS Day unconstitutional, following the earlier opinion of the European Commission for Democracy through Law at the Council of Europe, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The Coalition does not dispute the right to celebrate the religious holiday of the Orthodox community - Saint Archdeacon Stephen, but this date cannot be an official holiday of institutions, due to the fact that it commemorates the day when the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH proclaimed the "Declaration on the Proclamation of the Republic of the Serb People in BiH".

The manner in which this "assembly" was organized represents a contradiction to the principles of the right to self-determination, and is contrary to both the 1974 Constitution of the SFRY and the opinion of the Badinter Commission. The very form of organization to which SDS, SPO, and some Reformists acceded in 1992 represents the formation of para-institutions based on ethnic exclusivity, which was unacceptable then, and remains unacceptable today for European values and the protection of modern democracy.

- In this regard, we believe that January 9th should not be an official holiday, and that it is in the interest of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish common state holidays as soon as possible. For the "March 1st" Coalition, how Milorad Dodik will act on this issue is ultimately irrelevant; what is important is that this decision has an indelible legal and value-based foundation - said Edin Ikanović from the "March 1st" Coalition.

The "March 1st" Coalition reminds the member of the Presidency, Mladen Ivanić, that he reached this position thanks to the votes of Bosniaks, Croats, as well as other citizens of BiH from the RS region, as a counterbalance to the rigid nationalist messages and stance of SNSD in the last eight years. The unwillingness of the opposition in the RS to offer rational and sound new political ideas, which are not focused on the political narratives that have dominated this entity since 1992, represents proof of democratic immaturity and will permanently cause the most damage to the citizens living in this area - it was announced from March 1st.