BUDIMIR: POSITION OF ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ON THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION IMPORTANT

BANJA LUKA, APRIL 10 /SRNA/ - The Minister of Science and Technology Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Željko Budimir has said that the time has come to adopt a new Constitution, primarily due to numerous interventions on the original text, and that an option is also to call a referendum on this issue.

"We can say that this is the continuity of constitutional practice. Given the interventions and changes in the Constitution, the time has come for a general, public, professional and academic discussion to know what we should do with this most important legal and political act," said Budimir.

He pointed out that it is important for the professional and academic public to participate in the discussion, pointing out that the Draft Constitution is going through all the necessary procedures.

"We are not hiding anything and our intentions are very clear. We want a constitution that is harmonized with the Constitution of BiH, that is, Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Accords," Budimir told reporters at the Faculty of Political Sciences, before the start of the expert discussion on the Draft Constitution organized by the University of Banja Luka.

Speaking about the possibility of calling a referendum, Budimir clarified that it is about constitutional and democratic mechanisms.

"There is no higher degree of democracy than when the people directly decide on the most important and fateful issues," Budimir stated.

He says that the Serb people have the right to that mechanism as well, if it is a way to protect their rights and interests.

"In every democracy, the source of sovereignty is in the people. The task of the academic community, including me who works at the University, is to contribute to making the draft constitution as good as possible," Budimir concluded.

The professional discussion at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka was attended by deans, professors, legal experts and students.