Role and Working Methods

 

The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska is the highest representative and legislative body of the Republic of Srpska. Its role, composition, and method of work are regulated by the Constitution of Republic of Srpska and the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska.

 

In accordance with Article 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Srpska, the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska:

 

  1. Decides on changes of the Constitution;
  2. Enacts laws, other regulations, and general acts;
  3. Enacts the development plan, spatial plan, budget, and final account;
  4. Determines the territorial organization of the Republic;
  5. Calls a republican referendum;
  6. Calls a republican public loan and decides on the Republic's borrowing;
  7. Calls elections for Members of the Parliament and for the President of the Republic;
  8. Elects, appoints, and dismisses officials in accordance with the Constitution and the law;
  9. Exercises control over the work of the Government and other bodies accountable to it, in accordance with the Constitution and the law;
  10. Grants amnesty;
  11. Elects delegates from the Republic to the Council of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
  12. Ratifies agreements concluded by the Republic with states and international organizations, with the consent of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
  13. Declares a state of emergency for the Republic or a part of the Republic in case of a threat to security, due to natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, and fires), natural catastrophes, epidemics, violations of human rights and freedoms, and the normal functioning of the constitutional bodies of the Republic;

  14. Performs other duties, in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

     

The National Assembly has 83 Members of the Parliament (MPs). Electoral law determines the electoral units and the system for the distribution of mandates, which ensures that all municipalities are adequately represented in the National Assembly. Members of the Parliament are elected directly and by secret ballot.

 

The election and termination of the mandate of the MPs and the formation of electoral units are regulated by law. A minimum of four members of one constituent people shall be represented in the National Assembly. No MP in the National Assembly (or municipal assembly) may perform the function of a delegate in the Council of Peoples.

 

Members of the Parliament are elected for four years. The National Assembly may shorten its mandate by a two-thirds majority of the total number of MPs. During a state of war or immediate war danger, the mandate of the National Assembly is extended until that state ceases. The National Assembly cannot shorten its mandate during a state of war or immediate war danger. In the case that the National Assembly shortens its mandate or is dissolved, elections for a new National Assembly must be held within sixty days from the day the decision to shorten the mandate was made. Elections are called by the President of the Republic. Shortening the mandate of the National Assembly also terminates the mandate of the Government. The President of the Republic may, after consulting the opinion of the Prime Minister and the President of the National Assembly, decide to dissolve the National Assembly.

 

The National Assembly holds regular, special, and solemn sessions. Sessions of the National Assembly are convened by the President of the National Assembly. The National Assembly works in continuous session. The President of the National Assembly opens the session and determines whether a quorum for work exists. The National Assembly decides by the vote of the MPs in accordance with the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure. An act and an amendment are considered enacted if more than half of the total number of MPs voted in favor of them.

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