Official Declaration of the New Constitution
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, greeted by the citizens after the Constitution declaration. Nikola Pasic Square, Belgrade, November 8, 2006.
St. Demetrius’ Day Constitution
Serbia’s Parliament formally adopted a new Constitution on Wednesday reasserting Serbia’s claim over Kosovo and Metohija province and ruling out Belgrade’s consent for possible independence of its southern province, almost entirely ethnically cleansed of Serbs and other non-Albanians.
The new Constitution of Serbia was declared at a solemn parliament session held at the National Assembly House in Belgrade on November 8, Serbian Tanjug reports.
The new Constitution goes into effect on the day it is declared by the parliament. Parliament Speaker Predrag Markovic announced that all legal and constitutional conditions for the declaration of the state’s supreme act had been met.
The Constitution of Serbia was declared with the intonation of the national anthem, Lord of Justice (Bože Pravde). This was the first time a constitution of Serbia was declared at the building at Nikola Pasic Square, where all constitutions of the former Yugoslavia had been declared so far.
Serbian citizens greeting and congratulating their Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
The Constitution was unanimously adopted by the parliament on September 30, while Serbia’s citizens officially confirmed it in the referendum held on October 28-29, when 96 percent of those who voted backed Serbia’s new supreme act.
Serbian President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, cabinet members, Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Pavle, representatives of religious communities in Serbia, representatives of the diplomatic corps, president and members of the Constitutional and Supreme courts of Serbia, as well as members of Russia’s Duma, who are visiting Serbia, attended the solemn declaration of the new Constitution and cocktail afterwards.
Many of the Serbian citizens have gathered in front of the Parliament building, waving Serbian flags and cheering politicians, Parliament members and their guests after the new Constitution was declared. Since this document of the highest importance was declared on the Day of Greatmartyr Saint Demetrius, in Serbia it is commonly referred to as St. Demetrius’ Day Constitution (Mitrovdanski Ustav).