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Republika Srpska to leave BiH if Dayton Agreement not observed — official

Earlier, about 50,000 people participated in a rally in Banja Luka dedicated to the protection of the will of the citizens of Republika Srpska expressed at the October 2 election

BELGRADE, October 27. /TASS/. Republika Srpska (one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) entities) will secede from the country if the constitution proposed by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Dayton Agreement) is not observed, Acting Member of the Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik said on Thursday.

"The people of Republika Srpska have clearly demonstrated at the majestic rally in Banja Luka that there would not be an anti-Dayton and an anti-constitutional BiH. If they won’t return the BiH Constitution to us, complying with the Dayton Agreement, Republika Srpska will definitely leave taking our 49% of Bosnia and Herzegovina with us," he wrote on his Twitter page.

Earlier, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt altered the law on elections to the BiH Federation’s legislature on election day after polls closed. Taking advantage of his "Bonn powers" as the high representative, Schmidt introduced amendments to the BiH Federation’s Constitution effective immediately. Earlier, his proposals to change election law were condemned by residents who took to the streets to protest them. The BiH leadership also spoke out against such changes.

Earlier, about 50,000 people participated in a rally in Banja Luka dedicated to the protection of the will of the citizens of Republika Srpska expressed at the October 2 election. Thousands of people marched through the streets of the city and assembled at a mass rally dubbed "Motherland calls" in Krajina Square. The protesters sent a message to Sarajevo that they would not let their votes be stolen and change their electoral will. Republika Srpska’s President-Elect Milorad Dodik whose victory has not yet been approved by the BiH CEC three weeks following the election, asserted that the election commission "attempted to distort the people’s will.".

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