Should the ‘Samoopredjeljenje’ (Self-determination) List in Serbia’s Bosniak majority part of Sandjak be elected into the country’s Bosniak National Council (BNV), Bosniaks would become ‘constituent’ peoples in Serbia and Sandjak would seek autonomy, Serbian Bosniak politician and BNV President, Sulejman Ugljanin, said on Friday.

Speaking at a gathering in the southern town of Novi Pazar, Ugljanin said that Bosniaks should “unite their vote” in order to achieve this common goal.

“Together we are obliged to lead Bosniaks toward realising their rights, but not in a way that would jeopardise the rights of any other ethnic group,” he said, adding that the goal is to “return the status of ‘peoples’ to Bosniaks, which we had in (former) Yugoslavia, and for Sandjak to be recognised according to our will expressed at the 1991 referendum.

”The BNV President called upon Bosniaks to “create a positive atmosphere at the election” and his supporters to “not dispute others’ votes but also not allow someone to deprive them of their own.”

There should be no internal conflicts between Bosniaks or those who win and those who lose, he said.

“We do not want to win against other Bosniaks, join us so we can together win over the misery and lack of development,” he said.

The election for minority councils in Serbia is to take place on Sunday, and Bosniaks will have four lists to choose from – Samoopredjeljenje, ‘Matica Bosnjacka’, ‘Vakat je’, and ‘Stari dedo’.