Пројект Устава Србије Матије Бана из 1846. године
Matija Ban`s Project of Constitution of Serbia from 1846

Summary/Abstract: Matija Ban (Petrovo selo, Dubrovnik, 1818 - Belgrade, 1903), an eminentwriter and national worker, compiled The Project of the Serbian Constitution in the fall of 1846. It was supposed to correct the deficiencies in the Constitution of 1838, to strengthen the autonomy of Serbia and expand the ruling powers of Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, for whose purposes the project was written. With the Project of the Constitution, there are two related documents: Primječanija and Pobudjenja in which Ban outlined the motives by which he was guided in the work of drafting the constitution. The Project of the Constitution is divided into six chapters: the Political Rights of the Principality of Serbia, Civil Rights of the Serbs, Central Government, on the Authority of the Principality, on the State Council, on the State Council (Sovjet zemaljski) and has a total of 64 articles. As for the autonomous rights of the Principality of Serbia, Ban’s starting point is respect of the Turkish public acts (Sultan’s edicts, firman, berat) on which this autonomy is organized (hereditary princely dignity, the amount of tribute, state symbols, the position of the church, keeping the army ...). By his project, civil rights of the Serbs are guaranteed, while most changes in relation to the Constitution from 1838 were in the organization of the central government. In addition to a provided hereditary princely dignity, Prince had broad powers to the executive and legislative authorities (appoints and dismisses ministers, has a legislative initiative, manages foreign policy, commands the army ...). The State Council (Zemaljski savet) of ten members is exclusively legislative authority, and a new item is the establishment of the State Council, composed of six or eight members, which had an advisory and supervisory function. Strengthening the authority of the principality by the new constitution, Ban endeavoured to strengthen the disturbed autonomy of Serbia.

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