LOCAL PRESS

Djordjevic at Moscow Conference on International Security (Tanjug)

Today more than ever, there is a need to improve the international security system and coordinate activities at global level, Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic said in Moscow on Thursday. “It is Serbia’s priority to improve bilateral military cooperation through joint exercises and trainings with all our foreign partners, strengthen regional cooperation and step up participation in multinational operations under the auspices of the UN and EU,” Djordjevic said at the Fifth Moscow Conference on International Security. In his speech titled “Global Security and Military Cooperation”, he concluded that “the unchanged foreign policy position and consistent adherence to the fundamental principles in international cooperation make the Republic of Serbia a reliable and desirable partner in the field of military cooperation”. On the sidelines of the Fifth Moscow Conference, Djordjevic also met with the Belarusian and Armenian defense ministers. The Moscow security conference, which ends on Thursday, has brought together 52 military delegations with around 700 participants from 80 countries, including 19 defense ministers.

RIK begins recount of votes from 99 polling stations (Tanjug/RTS)

The Republic Election Commission (RIK) began today a recount of votes from 99 polling stations at which there had been found to be ‘grave errors” during the 24 April elections. “The recount is under way, at 99 polling stations,” RIK chairperson Dejan Djurdjevic told Tanjug. After the recount, the RIK session will be continued in order to make a decision on the fate of the votes from the polling stations concerned. RIK accepted 15 out of the 60 objections of irregularities in the elections and annulled the elections in 15 polling stations with about 18.000 voters. The elections will be repeated at these polling stations. Additional confusion was contributed by the fact that there was no explanation of how 60 complaints suddenly appeared, although it was said by Tuesday that there were only two objections at the polling stations. Djurdjevic did not specify where the complaints came from, but noted that no objection sent by e-mail was taken into account. Most polling stations where voting was annulled are in Nis, a total of five; in Belgrade, the elections will be repeated in three polling stations, and in two in Vranje. The elections will be also repeated in the polling stations in Jagodina, Backa Topola, Sremski Karlovci, Uzice and Kladovo. As an example, the RIK emphasized that in the polling station 65 in Vranje, there were 443 registered voters whereas there were 445 ballots in the box. The deadline for making decision on objections expired on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The RIK should voice its stance about approximately another 100 polling stations where logical and statistical errors were reported.

Pajtic: SNS demonstrated that it would do anything in order to win another 27 mandates (Blic)

The leader of the Democratic Party (DS) Bojan Pajtic has assessed that, following the “mysterious appearance” of 60 new objections to the regularity of elections, it is obvious that the SNS will do anything in order to conceal the fact that it doesn’t have absolute majority in the Serbian parliament. He adds that the appearance of new objections confirms the claims by the DS that the elections were full of irregularities, which “has been denied by the regime to this day”, as well as that the SNS will even trample on electoral will of citizens in order to come to power.

Tadic: SNS wants to usurp opposition votes (RTS)

Following a meeting of opposition parties at Social-Democrat Party (SDS) headquarters, the SDS leader Boris Tadic said that the opposition parties doubted the work of RIK, based on the fact that RIK counted 98 percent of the votes for 12 hours, and now it was entering the fourth day without being able to count the remaining two percent. “There is not a single logical explanation why is this happening,” says Tadic. He points out that, after having insight into electoral material, they discovered many illogical things and irregularities, giving as an example polling station n.9 in the Leposavic municipality, where the member of the SDS executive board Goran Bogdanovic voted. “They told us that we had zero votes there, yet we counted 60 votes. This is an obvious example of the violation of citizens’ will and it is obvious the counting in Kosovo and Metohija was not correct,” he said. Tadic claims there are many similar examples throughout Serbia, and that the electoral process and democracy in Serbia have been brought into question. He announced that opposition representatives, on whose behalf he was speaking, would hold a press conference at 6 p.m. in RIK. The meeting at the SDS headquarters was attended by DSS leader Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic, the leader of the Enough is Enough Movement Sasa Radulovic, DS leader Bojan Pajtic, and the LDP leader Cedomir Jovanovic.

Opposition discovers irregularities of voting in Kosovo and Metohija (Blic)

During the examination of ballots and records in RIK, the Dveri movement discovered discrepancies during the voting in Kosovo and Metohija where they didn’t have insight into the voting. “We discovered numerous irregularities and that is why we examined the records from Kosovo and Metohija where we established that the SPS and SNS have a larger number of votes in the records than in the bags. We are documenting everything by taking photos and we will present these results once we complete the examination,” said Dveri leader Bosko Obradovic. He adds that RIK is delaying the crucial session where they need to present results from the remaining 1.96 percent of votes.

OSCE: Electoral process in Kosovo regular (Tanjug)

The spokesperson of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Senad Sabovic has stated that the electoral process in Kosovo had passed in a regular manner and without incidents. The OSCE had staff in every unit and they had clear instructions and precise training, Sabovic told Tanjug. He says the staff reacted to certain irregularities, without specifying which, but underlined that they were not of such intensity in order to endanger the regularity of the electoral process in Kosovo. He pointed out that after the units for collecting votes (polling stations) were closed, the boxes with ballots were sealed and the entire electoral material was transported to Raska and Vranje, where it was handed over to RIK representatives for counting. He reminded that the counting took place in the presence of extended compositions of electoral boards. The fact that the process was held under the OSCE auspices in Kosovo doesn’t make it irregular, because we had similar models in 2012 and 2014 and everything was regular back then, concluded Sabovic.

REGIONAL PRESS

None of three amendments for Mostar received support (klix)

The House of Representatives of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly did not adopt any of the amendments to the B&H Election Law proposed by political parties, and which are related to the status of Mostar. Three amendments to the Election Law were on the agenda as three separate counts, forwarded for adoption on an expedited basis. The amendments are related to the status of Mostar, and were proposed by the delegates Mirsad Mesic and Damir Becirovic (SDP and DF), delegate Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) and delegates Amir Fazlic and Mirsad Djonlagic (SDA and SBB). Neither of these proposals got the majority of votes. Eight delegates voted for the proposal by SDP and DF, 28 voted against it and three were restrained. Five delegates voted for the proposal by HDZ B&H, 32 were against and 2 restrained. Sixteen delegates voted for the proposal by SDA and SBB, 22 voted against and one delegate was restrained. During the session, the opposition warned that there is a deal between the ruling political parties, thereby referring to SDA and HDZ B&H, that neither one of the amendments is adopted at the session. Mladen Bosic from the SDS, which is a part of the parliamentarian majority, said that he has no information about any deal between the political parties. It remains unclear what is going to happen with the elections in Mostar, given that the B&H Central Election Commission will reach a decision on the local elections in B&H at the session to be held on 4 May. During the session, Kristo said that the proposal by HNS regarding the amendments to the Election Law related to Mostar is completely applying the decision by the B&H Constitutional Court and eliminating any kind of discrimination among the citizens of Mostar. Kristo assessed that SDA and SBB were trying to implement the verdict by the Constitutional Court, but that it is still not enough when speaking of the equality of votes, and that there are certain unconstitutional parts in their proposal. In the frame of discussion on convergence and finding a solution for Mostar, the opposition concluded that political parties are so mutually close that they do not even agree on the constitutionality of the proposal.

B&HPA HoR adopts bill on amendments to B&H Election Law (Nezavisne/Srna)
The House of Representatives of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly adopted on Wednesday in Sarajevo the Bill on Amendments to the B&H Election Law whose proponents are the members of the Interdepartmental Working Group tasked with amending the electoral legislation of B&H – MPs Borjana Kristo, Hazim Rancic and Lazar Prodanovic. The Bill to 32 amendments of the Interdepartmental Working Group is mostly technical. One of the amendments to the Election Law envisages raising the threshold on the party list to win a mandate at municipal elections to 10 percent, and 20 percent at general elections. The B&H Central Election Commission has announced that it will slate local elections on 4 May, and the B&H Parliament needs to adopt by this date the amendments to the electoral legislation so they can be applied at the 2 October elections.

Cubrilovic: Opinions of B&H Parliament violates RS vital interests (Srna)

Speaker of the Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly, Nedeljko Cubrilovic, has said that a negative opinion of the Constitutional Committee of the House of Representatives of the B&H Parliament on proposed Law on Constitutional Court of B&H and amending the B&H Criminal Code, represents a violation of RS’ vital interest, downgrades Dayton solutions and continues to devaluate efforts for the functioning of the bodies and institutions. Cubrilovic points out that this decision Constitutional Committee also makes uncertain the offered solution of the structural dialogue of the judiciary reform in B&H. “It is impermissible that foreign judges in the B&H Constitutional Court have not stopped working even after fifteen years, in line with the B&H Constitution.

Stevandic: B&H not ready to face radical Islam in B&H (Srna)

The RS Assembly Deputy Speaker Nenad Stevandic feels that B&H institutions are not ready to face the radical Islam in B&H in a quality manner. “B&H institutions and Serb representatives in them did not have the courage to call the attack in Zvornik a terrorist attack, unlike the RS institutions which immediately characterized the attack in Rajlovac as a terrorist attack,” Stevandic told Srna on the occasion of marking the 1st anniversary of the terrorist attack in Zvornik.

Lawyer Crnalic on Radoncic’s hearing (klix)

The trial in the case of Fahrudin Radoncic and others resumed at the B&H Court, and Dalida Burzic, the Chief Prosecutor of Canton Sarajevo (CS), her deputy Aida Topalovic and the former police commissioner of CS, Himzo Selimovic, gave statements as Prosecution witnesses.

After the hearing, one of Radoncic’s lawyers, Muhidin Kapo, stated that we heard important witnesses for the defense, although they arrived in Court at the invitation of the Prosecutor’s Office. The witnesses spoke about an insufficiently known case that was filed in the Prosecution of CS, and it refers to a letter from Bakir Dautbasic, related to a trial in Kosovo. Asim Crnalic, lead attorney of Radoncic, said that he is satisfied with the testimony of the witnesses, emphasizing that they go in favor of the defense. “The testimony of the witness Burzic, Topalovic and Selimovic did not substantiate the allegations of the B&H Prosecution and these statements were in favor of the defense, therefore, we did not ask too many questions in the cross-examination stage. One of the allegations in the charges were that Radoncic, together with Bilsena Sahman and Bakir Dautbasic, influenced the work of the Prosecutor’s Office, but witness statements were sufficient for conclusion,” said Crnalic. To recall, Radoncic, together with Bakir Dautbasic, Bilsena Sahman and Zijad Hadzijahic, is prosecuted for conspiracy to commit criminal acts, obstruction of justice and giving awards or other forms benefits for trade with influence.

Izetbegovic: Croatia a bright example of relations between the state and the IC (Fena)

Croatia is a bright example of the fact that it is possible to regulate the relationship between the government and the Islamic Community on the principles of real integration in the contemporary European society, said B&H Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic at the academy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the legal and institutionalized status of Islam in Croatia at the event held in the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.

Admiral Ferguson visits Camp Butmir (Patria)

The commander of Allied Joint Force Command, Naples, Italy, Admiral Mark Ferguson, toured Camp Butmir, the home of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo and EU Forces in B&H. Admiral Ferguson met with senior leaders, and other personnel, at the camp to discuss EUFOR and NATO activities in the Balkans area of responsibility. The admiral’s short, but purposeful, visit included meetings with Brig. Gen. Giselle Wilz, NATO HQ Sa commander, and Maj. Gen. Friedrich Schrötter, EUFOR commander, to discuss the progress and way ahead for B&H on their road to Euro-Atlantic Integrations. Admiral Ferguson also met with the B&H Chief of Defense, Gen. Anto Jelec, to address AFB&H cooperation, interoperability and integration with NATO.

Gruevski: 5 June elections vital for putting an end to political crisis (MIA)

Ruling VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski held talks Wednesday with a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which is paying a pre-electoral visit to Macedonia. The talks focused on the political situation, imposed crisis and the integration processes significant for the country, VMRO-DPMNE said in a press release. Gruevski affirmed his stand that the 5 June elections, as a democratic process at which citizens will decide on the country’s future, were necessary for putting an end to the political crisis. VMRO-DPMNE priority is for these elections to be fair and democratic and institutions in charge of their organization enjoy the party’s full support, Gruevski said. The elections, he added, are a test of the democratic capacity of political parties and their readiness to face the citizens’ will. Macedonia’s strategic goal is to join the European Union and implementing of overall reforms to that effect is VMRO-DPMNE’s top priority, Gruevski said.

Veljanoski meets PACE delegation, calls for maturity from political leaders (Republika)

Macedonian Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski met with the PACE, led by Stefan Schennach. According to the speaker’s press release, Veljanoski presented the political situation and latest developments in Macedonia to the visiting members of parliament and spoke about the legal framework put in place for the early general elections. Veljanoski also noted that the parliament was not involved in political negotiations to reach the agreement to resolve the political crisis, adding that this is a significant failing of the structure of the talks that took place. Parliament dissolved on 7 April, and Veljanoski added that there is no possibility to have it re-called, as the leading opposition SDSM party has requested. SDSM have announced a boycott of the elections, which they believe are not being properly prepared. “The speaker called on all political factors to assume their responsibility and to show maturity in their actions”, Veljanoski told the PACE delegation, which earlier also met with opposition representatives.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia will support EU’s position on fighting against illegal migration — defense minister

(TASS, 28 April 2016)
MOSCOW, Serbia will try to resolve the problem of illegal migration together with the European Union (EU) and will support the common European position on this matter, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic told TASS in an interview on Thursday. Djordjevic said the threat of illegal migration is real for all European countries. “This problem is acute for Europe in general and for Serbia in particular,” he said. “As you know, one of migration routes went through the territory of Serbia – the so-called ‘Balkan route’,” the defense minister said. “After this route was closed, another problem arose – movement across the country and EU of illegal migrants that already entered the territory,” he noted adding that 650 illegal migrants have already requested asylum in Serbia. “The country’s government carefully watches the development of this situation. We will resolve this issue together with our EU partners. We will support EU’s common position on this issue,” Djordjevic concluded.
Austria and Serbia (crikey.com.au, by Charles Richardson, 27 April 2016)

Compare and contrast: a parliamentary election re-enforces the mainstream in Serbia, and a presidential election swings big to the far right in Austria.

Last Sunday’s elections are an interesting pair, made more so by the fact that Anzac Day has just focused our attention of the heritage of the First World War. Back in 1914, Austria-Hungary and Serbia were the first powers to go to war, after Serbia rejected the Austrian ultimatum that followed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. That quarrel was quickly submerged in a larger struggle for European domination, and neither country emerged from the war in anything like its pre-existing shape. Austria and Hungary were separated and truncated to the small countries we know today, while Serbia (enlarged by the addition of Hungarian territory) became part of Yugoslavia, which in turn was dissolved in the 1990s. Austria has been a stable democracy since the restoration of its independence following the Second World War. Serbia’s recent history has been much more traumatic, but it too is now building a record of democracy. It elected a new parliament on Sunday, while Austria went through the first round of electing a new president. It’s impossible to talk about current European politics without mentioning the refugee crisis, and these two elections were no exception. But curiously, it was Serbia, on the front line in that crisis, where it seemed to have less impact. The Serbian result was very much in line with expectations (see my preview here). The “Serbia is Winning” ticket led by the Serbian Progressive Party of prime minister Aleksandar Vucic retained its absolute majority (although it lost 27 seats), finishing with 48.2% of the vote and 131 seats. The list led by its Socialist Party ally was second with 11.0% and 29 seats. As expected, the far-right Serbian Radical Party returned to parliament, but with a somewhat underwhelming 8.1% and 22 seats. Another (not quite so) far right force, an alliance of Dveri and the Democratic Party of Serbia, just cleared the threshold for representation, with 5.0% and 13 seats. Three centrist or centre-left tickets had 17.1% and 45 seats between them, and five ethnic minority parties took the remaining ten seats. (Official results are here, in Serbo-Croat.) So Serbia has voted pretty clearly to remain on the moderate, pro-European road. That’s all the more impressive because Vucic has not joined the anti-refugee bandwagon in the region, instead aligning himself with the more hospitable policies of Germany’s Angela Merkel. It’s far from conclusive, but it’s further evidence (along with the recent German state elections) that standing up to the racists can be a successful electoral strategy. And the flip side of that lesson is Austria, where a policy of pandering to anti-immigrant sentiment led the established parties to disaster. In the last Austrian parliamentary election, in 2013, the two traditional major parties – the Social Democrats and the People’s Party – scored a bare majority of the vote (50.8%) between them, and after some dithering re-formed their grand coalition. At the time I said they seemed “to be in a dance with death”: their co-operation in government was hurting them both electorally, but as their vote declined so did their options for breaking apart. They’re still in government, although travelling badly in the polls. And as a desirable destination for refugees, Austria has been hit by the refugee crisis; the government has not demonised refugees to the extent of some of its neighbors, but it has imposed border controls and dissented publicly from the more liberal approach taken in Germany. Sunday was the first round of the election for the figurehead position of president, always held in the past by a candidate supported by one of the major parties (including the controversial Kurt Waldheim in 1986-92). But this time the Social Democrats and the People’s Party could manage only fourth and fifth place, with 11.3% and 11.1% respectively. That had been more or less predicted by the opinion polls, although it’s still pretty stunning. But the polls said that first place would be a close race between three candidates: Norbert Hofer from the far-right Freedom Party, Alexander Van der Bellen from the Greens, and centrist independent Irmgard Griss, a former president of Austria’s supreme court. In fact it wasn’t close at all. Hofer was the runaway leader with 35.1%, almost 600,000 votes ahead of Van der Bellen, on 21.3%, whom he will now face in the runoff on 22 May. Griss came a close third with 18.9%. Hofer had a plurality in every state bar Vienna. This isn’t quite as bad as it might look. Hofer is a relative moderate within the Freedom Party; although he has received congratulations from the likes of Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders, he is probably not quite in their league. And the margin in the second round won’t be anything like 14%. Van der Bellen, a highly respected veteran politician and himself the child of refugees, will rally the bulk of mainstream support, although whether it will be enough to get him past Hofer is another question. Prior to Sunday, hypothetical polls had Van der Bellen beating Hofer reasonably comfortably in a runoff. But since they all had him at worst within a couple of points of him in the first round, it’s clear that not much confidence can be placed in that. As in most western countries, the far right is still sufficiently taboo that many of its intending voters won’t admit to the fact beforehand. Either way, the presidency looks headed for an unwelcome degree of politicisation. Hofer has made suggestions of dissolving parliament if the government doesn’t see things his way on the refugee issue, while Van der Bellen has indicated that he would refuse to appoint a Freedom Party government even if it wins the next election, due in 2018.