The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia – Guardian of the Constitution and Protector of Human Rights?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FEL.2024.09.25.13Keywords:
Constitution, Constitutional Court, rule of law, Republic of Serbia, rights and freedoms, questionnaireAbstract
This study explored the opinions of citizens in the Republic of Serbia regarding the role of the Constitutional Court as a guardian of the Constitution and the rule of law in their country. It also examined whether citizens feel that their fundamental rights and freedoms are being upheld. The research was conducted on 300 respondents, in the city of Belgrade in Serbia by sampling method - survey. The results of the structured survey showed that citizens of Serbia were satisfied with the work of the Constitutional Court and believe that it is a good protector of the Constitution and the rule of law in the Republic of Serbia. The research results showed that most respondents were familiar with the Constitutional norms, while the situation was not the same with the work of the Constitutional Court, so even 235 respondents were not familiar with it. The majority of respondents learnt about the Constitutional Court and the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia through television, radio, or magazines, totalling 185 individuals. The majority of respondents believed that the norms of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia were adequately prescribed (234 respondents), while 66 respondents believed that they were not. When it came to respondents' opinion on whether the Constitutional Court was a protector of the rule of law and the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, the majority of respondents thought that it was (272 respondents). In comparison, 28 respondents stated that it was not a good protector. However, the disputed situation was related to the respect of basic human rights and freedoms, because half of the respondents believed that their rights were not sufficiently respected.
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