Serb Presidency Chairman: Next year's celebration of RS Day to be more elaborate

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The more they deny January 9 as the Day of RS, the more we will celebrate it, the Chairman of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency and its Serb member Milorad Dodik said on Monday after the Constitutional Court declared the event unconstitutional, last month.

“The (Serb-dominated) Republika Srpska (RS) entity will pass a new law that will confirm January 9 as the Day of RS. The more they deny it, the more we will celebrate it, and next year, our celebration will be even more elaborate,” said Dodik who was the President of this semi-autonomous entity, before being elected at Presidency member.

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Bosnian Serbs celebrate January 9 because on that day in 1992 they declared the breakaway Serb state as founded. The so-called Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina took over half of Bosnia’s territory.

Since January 9 is also a Serb Orthodox religious holiday, the two holidays overlap and only Serb symbols are displayed, which violates the rights of non-Serbs living there.

Speaking at the annual address, the leader of the ruling party in this entity, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), said that SNSD aims to be the ruling and leading party in this entity, which needs strong leaders – and the “SNSD will help make them.”