LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Nobody is asking us to recognize Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic held today a press conference, refusing to comment Berlin’s 11 conditions for opening the EU negotiating chapters. He said that nobody today asks Serbia to recognize Kosovo. He said that it is not written anywhere that Serbia must recognize Kosovo. “Serbia is looking for the most rational solutions for all issues, without endangering at any moment territorial integrity and preserving stability in the region at the same time,” he said, recalling that there is a wish with one part of the EU member states to link Chapter 32 with 35, which would mean taking some more unilateral or joint activities with the Pristina government regarding the Kosovo issue. “That is no discovery. We knew this in the past and we did our job. It is on others to assess this,” said Vucic at the press conference in the Palace of Serbia.

Speaking about the Kosovo passports, he said that passengers from Kosovo are already passing at certain crossings, in line with the agreement made by the previous government. He said he didn’t know the details on how this is regulated, but that the holders of Kosovo passports must have an additional paper, and that the Office for Kosovo and Metohija is dealing with the technical matters. Vucic said he would like it very much if Air Serbia flew to Pristina, and added that he approved the idea. “Our policy is to remain on the EU path and to preserve integrity. No agreement is good or ideal for us,” Vucic said.

Berlin sends 11 conditions to Serbia (Novosti)

The Brussels conditions for opening Chapter 35 that refers to normalization of relations with Pristina, with which the EU negotiations should commence at Germany’s insisting, are almost impossible conditions for Serbia since these conditions concern the status of Kosovo, Novosti learns. According to this information, there are 11 requests on which Berlin insists, which officially represent the implementation of the Brussels agreement, but the fulfillment of some of them effectively supports Kosovo’s independence. That includes the statute of the future Union of Serb Municipalities in line with Pristina’s laws, to allow Pristina’s participation in all regional forums, as well as acceptance of Kosovo passports at the border with Serbia, and building of administrative crossings. Novosti learns that Belgrade has launched a comprehensive diplomatic campaign in many addresses to, as soon as possible, reformulate the Brussels recommendations and open the first chapter as soon as possible. Novosti’s source convey that President Nikolic, who has announced a meeting of the state leadership on the occasion of EU conditions, will postpone this initiative until the opening of the negotiating Chapter 35 when it will be seen what exactly Brussels expects from Serbia. If Serbia were to fulfill all that is demanded, the chances for which are small, European leaders could as soon as during the December summit schedule the next inter-governmental conference for the end of January when Chapters 32, on financial control, and 35 would be opened simultaneously. But, considering Berlin’s firm stand, it is more realistic that the opening of the first chapter will be postponed until further notice.

Conditions for opening negotiations with EU

1. Statute of Union of Serb Municipalities in line with Pristina’s laws
2. Agreement on dialing code for Kosovo and Metohija
3. Integration of civil protection into the Pristina system
4. Construction of masonry facilities at crossings
5. Implementation of the agreement on energy
6. Removal of Peace Park in Kosovska Mitrovica
7. Stopping smuggling at illegal crossings
8. Acceptance of Kosovo passports at Serbian borders
9. Participation of Pristina in all regional forums
10. Pristina to take over “Gazivode” and “Valac”
11. Local self-administration to enter the Kosovo system

Along with the 11 requests from Berlin, Serbian officials have also received the list with recommended answers, which would satisfy the EU! Practically, as if they are just waiting for us to just “check” what they had already answered “instead of us”, so they can enable us negotiations.

Conflict in Serb List regarding distribution of posts in Kosovo government (Politika)

The session at which the new Kosovo government is supposed to be appointed cannot be held without the MPs of the Serb (Srpska) List who left the assembly hall yesterday in Pristina and went for consultations with the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric. Politika has learned that Djuric urgently departed from northern Kosovska Mitrovica, cancelling the planned meeting with the German MP Niels Annen. Namely, after the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly, where they elected the speaker Kadri Veseli from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK) led by Hashim Thaqi and five deputy speakers, one of which went to Jasmina Zivkovic from the Serb List, official Belgrade had to react as well. The voting for the deputy speaker of the assembly launched a conflict between Slobodan Petrovic, who was the deputy prime minister and minister for local self-administration in the previous government, and Aleksandar Jablanovic, the head of the Serb List. The dispute among the Serb MPs on whether Jablanovic violated the previous agreement for Petrovic to be elected to the post of the deputy speaker of the assembly took place in front of the entire public. Politika’s source claims that Djuric went to Mitrovica in order to “tell Serb representatives that they must be united and have joint presentation in the provincial institutions”. Politika learns that nine MPs of the Serb List are divided into three wings and have interest to engage “their” people in the future distribution of power. Aside from Jablanovic and Petrovic, there is also Dalibor Jevtic, the former minister for return and communities. Asked whether the claim of the leader of the Independent Liberal Party and Serb List MP Slobodan Petrovic that “Aleksandar Jablanovic is behaving in a rugged and arbitrary manner and that he recommended Jasmina Zivkovic contrary to agreement”, Politika’s source says: “It seems there is a bit of truth in that.” Politika was told by the Serb List that of the total of 19 ministerial posts, their MPs will receive two ministries – for local self-administration and for return and communities.

Bad timing for Nikolic’s truth (Politika)

Will the topic of (non) recognition of Kosovo for the sake of joining the EU shake again the Serbian political scene as it did during Kostunica’s governments, or perhaps, this story, which had been re-launched by the head of the state, will last in the media shorter than the tabloid captions on his and his family’s property, the expensive clothing of his wife and allegedly suspicious donations to his foundation? Judging by the reactions of government representatives, headed by Prime Minister Vucic and Foreign Minister Dacic, there is no material for expatiating, because Belgrade was never, they claim, officially given such a condition. Thus, judging by everything, it will not accept the initiative of President Nikolic to reach national consensus on this issue, but also for all officials to individually give their stand on this. It is hardly the case that an experienced politician, like Nikolic, couldn’t have assumed how government representatives would react, since it had explicitly promoted EU membership as the main foreign policy goal along with public swearing that it will never recognize independence of Kosovo. Then why did he choose precisely this moment to announce to the public what he had been told by the EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn two weeks ago? Does this have to do with Putin’s decision to suspend the South Stream project after which, it seems, the road towards Brussels is more open? Or, as some opine, the President’s statement is motivated with his position that he himself described – many attack him, but nobody defends him? The officials of the Serbian Presidency weren’t in the mood to give an answer to this question, but neither were several members of the government, whom we have contacted, prepared to comment the President’s timing. According to unofficial assessments of certain experts, the prevailing opinion is that Nikolic is not a “Russian player” who is trying to slow down Serbia on the EU path, but that his initiative is more a way of positioning himself as an important factor on the political scene. Milovan Drecun, Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) MP, however, didn’t run away from the “troublesome” topic. According to him, Nikolic has realized perhaps that the message conveyed by Hahn has great weight, and therefore he reacted. Drecun says that he wouldn’t have proceeded this way if he had been in Nikolic’s position, because, he assessed, this way the maneuvering space is becoming a bit narrow for Serbia. “Serbia is brought into a situation either-or, as if it is taking all for granted, including that we will have such EU stand. We should primarily turn towards those countries that don’t recognize the unilateral act of independence and seek support from them so we do not receive such a condition from the EU. That should be a priority of our actions, and not to answer a question that has not been posed officially,” opines Drecun. Again, Drecun notes that we should progress in the process of normalization of relations with Pristina, receive positive assessments in regard to Chapter 35, further deepen relations with the EU, and then perhaps the situation will change in favor of non-recognition of Kosovo’s secession. In such a situation we could ask the EU and the entire international community for the Kosovo problem to be resolved with a compromise, and not with accepting independence of Kosovo as fait accompli. “This way we are narrowing the maneuvering space for bringing us into a hopeless situation. I don’t think the EU will have such a short-sighted policy to bring the most important country in the Balkans into such a situation some day,” said Drecun.

OSCE: Still no solution for return of IDPs to Kosovo (Tanjug)

As many as 15 years after the Kosovo conflict, there are still no lasting solutions for the return or integration of around 220,000 people displaced outside Kosovo and the 17,000 internally displaced living in Kosovo, shows the latest OSCE report. According to the report, the number of returnees is declining every year, although the Kosovo ministry for communities and return has undertaken significant measures to help the displaced population. The OSCE said that, in collaboration with the UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Council, a survey has been conducted to identify the needs of persons displaced from Kosovo’s territory, and that a new strategy for communities and return in 2014-2018 has been adopted as a result. However, when it comes to providing assistance to displaced persons and returnees, there is no cooperation or coordination among institutions at central and local levels, or among governments in the region, the report said. There is also the problem of illegal occupation of houses and buildings owned by displaced persons, the OSCE said in the report. The largest expulsion and migration of Serbs and other non-Albanian population from Kosovo and Metohija took place after the arrival of international forces and the establishment of the UN interim administration following the aggression and the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999. However, over 4,000 Serbs were driven out in a pogrom by ethnic Albanian extremists on March 17-18, 2004, when 900 Serb-owned houses and flats were torched, with 35 Orthodox churches, monasteries and cultural monuments destroyed as well. According to figures released by the Serbian government, only 11,000 people have returned to Kosovo and Metohija so far – half of the returnees are Serbs, but just 2.5 percent have managed to stay in the province permanently. The main obstacles to a sustainable return are a lack of security, freedom and other human rights, the unsolved issue of return of property, the inability to use destroyed or usurped property, as well as difficulties with finding employment.

REGIONAL PRESS

The CEC: Verified five lists of candidates from the RS for the state House of Peoples (Fena)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has verified the lists of five candidates for the election of the delegates from the Republika Srpska (RS) for the House of Peoples of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly and 23 lists of candidates for the election of delegates for the RS Council of Peoples. Five verified candidate lists for the election of delegates from the RS for the House of Peoples are: The list of Radovan Vukovic on which are Nebojsa Radmanovic (SNSD), a former member of the Presidency of B&H, and Bosko Tomic, the list of Radovan Viskovic on which are Sredoje Novic (SNSD), the Minister of Civil Affairs, Snjezana Bursac- Novakovic and Srdjan Mazalica, the list of Vukota Govedarica on which are Ognjen Tadic, vice president of SDS, Kostadin Vasic, Milan Kovac and Pero Djuric, the list of NSRS Marko Banjac on which are Darko Babalj, State SDS deputy in the B&H Parliament, Blagoje Simic and Dragomir Ljubojevic, the list of Spomenko Stevanovic – member of the RS National Assembly on which are Dragutin Rodic, Drasko Acimovic and Tomislav Prtic. The lists for 21 candidates for the election of delegates for the RS Council of Peoples are verified. Two candidate lists, one from the Croat people and one from among the other nations, are not verified because when they were checked it was found that certain candidates on these lists have stated different nationalities at the local elections in 2012. These lists of nominees will be returned for the replacement of candidates, announced CEC.

The Constitutional Court issued a judgment in favor of Niksic and Krajina (Srna)

The Constitutional Court of B&H issued two judgments in favor of the Prime Minister of the Federation of B&H Nermin Niksic and Federation Finance Minister Ante Krajina.

In the judgment concerning the request of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance for resolution of the dispute with the President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) Zivko Budimir, which refers to the President’s decision to dismiss the Minister of Finance, is stated that the Federation Constitutional Court, after the procedure, came to a decision that the President violated the rights of the Prime Minister according to the FB&H Constitution. Also, the judgment emphasizes that there was no constitutional base for a decision on the removal of Krajina. Another judgment, which relates to the decision of President of Federation on the dissolution of the Audit Team for coordinating the audit process for veterans’ benefits in the Federation, the Constitutional Court found that the President had no constitutional or legal right to make such a decision, and thus violated the rights of the Federation Prime Minister in carrying out the law. These judgments undoubtedly confirmed that some political forces in the FB&H and some senior officials abused their positions and try to unconstitutionally and illegally block certain processes and thus prevent the FB&H government in carrying out its statutory obligations, announced the FB&H government. The government points out that such actions caused significant delays in the implementation of a number of important reforms, which at the end affect all citizens of the FB&H.

Izetbegovic received Yee (Oslobodjenje)

B&H Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic received Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia Hoyt Brian Yee. They talked about the process of government formation and program goals for the term. The officials agreed that it is necessary to form bodies of legislative and executive authorities at all levels as soon as possible, and that their functioning during the Mandate period must be based on clearly defined reform programs and priorities. It was agreed that the newly elected government at all levels must be a priority to the implementation of socio-economic reforms, which will ensure economic stability, rapid economic development, employment, increasing the competitiveness of the B&H economy, and a strong inflow of foreign investment. In addition, it is necessary to commit to the effective fight against corruption and crime and to address the key requirements for accelerating the process of Euro-Atlantic integration, such as the establishment of a rational and efficient coordination mechanism in the process of European integration and the registration of 63 locations of perspective military assets, in order to activated the Action Plan for B&H membership in NATO as soon as possible, said the press service of the B&H Presidency. Yee has confirmed the strong commitment of the United States to B&H in supporting the implementation of necessary reforms for the process of Euro-Atlantic integration. Yee used the occasion to congratulate Bakir Izetbegovic on his re-election for the Presidency and the electoral victory of the SDA, reads the statement.

Two former Bosnian Army members arrested for war crimes (Tanjug, Sarajevo correspondent)

A former member of the Army of B&H has been arrested on suspicion of committing the war crimes against the Serb civilians. Hedin Dzambegovic, who served in the Muslim-dominated wartime military formation, is suspected of inhumane treatment of civilians, the B&H war crimes – said the Prosecution. He was taken into custody by the members of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), on the Prosecution’s orders. A statement added that From May until August 1992, after “ten men fit for military service” were taken from the village of Crkvine never to be seen again, Dzambegovic went to the village armed “at least 15 times” and carried out “constant physical and psychological abuse and intimidation of the remaining Serb civilians.” The Prosecution added that they were also “intensively investigating” several persons suspected of taking the ten men from the village which were executed afterwards. Their remains are still searched for, reports the local media. On Monday, Zaim Lalicic was arrested in Sarajevo on suspicion of committing a war crime against Serb civilians in Hrasnica during the period between 1992 and 1993. The (B&H) Prosecutor’s Office charged the 53-year-old man with committing the acts contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions on the protection of civilians in times of war during his service in the Army of B&H. He is also suspected of inhumane treatment and physical abuse of several Serb civilians, as well as of multiple rapes and sexual abuse of a Serb woman. The victims were illegally held captive in a building in Sarajevo’s Hrasnica neighborhood, reads the statement.

The attempted assassination of Imam Beganovic for criticizing the Wahhabis (Dnevni avaz)

Last night in Trnovo near Velika Kladusa unknown person attacked Selvedin Beganovic the Imam, inflicting him severe injuries with a knife- confirmed Beganovic for Dnevni avaz.

Imam Beganovic is known to the public since last year’s open letter to Bilal Bosnic, the informal leader of the Wahhabi movement in B&H, who is currently under custody, in which he criticized Beganovic’s practice of recruiting and sending the Bosnian youth to Syrian and Iraqi battlefields.

Since then there is an ongoing campaign of the Wahhabi movement against the Imam Beganovic. Wahhabis have already tried to intimidate him by setting the fire under his car, threatened to kill his children, and have previously called for his lynching.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

IOC grants full Olympic recognition to Kosovo (AP, 9 December 2014)

MONACO — The IOC has granted full recognition to Kosovo, meaning the Balkan country can send an independent team to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.  The full International Olympic Committee made the decision Tuesday, formally ratifying the provisional recognition granted in October by the executive board.  Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia has refused to accept the breakaway province’s independence. The move to give Olympic recognition to Kosovo had been opposed by Serbian officials.  Kosovo becomes the 205th national Olympic committee recognized by the IOC.

Termination of South Stream is bad news – Serbian PM (Famagusta Gazette, 7 December 2014)

Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called “bad news” the information about Russia’s refusal from construction of the South Stream gas pipeline, Serbian RTS television reported on Sunday. The prime minister said Serbia “has been investing in this project for seven years, but has to pay the price for collision of the big ones [countries].” Vucic said he wanted to discuss the topic with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials as he returns from the UN Security Council’s session in New York. On Saturday evening, Serbia’s Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antic while commenting on the news about Moscow’s intentions to terminate the project due to the position of the European Union, said the Serbian side as yet did not receive any notification from Gazprom about whatever changes in the project of the South Stream’s construction. He said the statement of the Russian president about the termination of the project is taken in Serbia “as a signal, first of all, to members of the European Union, on who depends construction of the gas pipeline.” Antic stressed implementation of the project required “agreement on the Brussels-Moscow line” and expressed hope “all open questions will be settled by means of negotiations, and both sides will reach an agreement.” “Of course, this project is exclusively important for the energy security of this country, and on it depends also employment of a major part of our construction sector, but, unfortunately, we are unable to influence what happens to the gas pipeline,” the minister said.

Russian, Serbian PM discuss energy cooperation following South Stream freeze

Economy (TASS, 8 December 2014)

MOSCOW. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic discussed further interaction in the power sector after Russia had frozen the South Stream gas project by telephone on Monday.

“The telephone conversation dwelt on bilateral trade and economic cooperation as well as prospects for further interaction in the power sector in the wake of Russia’s decision to stop the South Stream project,” the Russian government’s press service said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 1 that the project to build the South Stream gas pipeline is closed due to the European Union’s unconstructive approach to cooperation in that sphere.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandr Vucic referred to Russia’s decision to curtail the South Stream gas pipeline project as bad news.

“Serbia has been investing in this project for seven years, but now it has to pay the price of a clash between the great (powers),” the RTS quotes him as saying.

Earlier, Serbian Energy and Mining Industry Minister Aleksandr Antic said in the wake of the news Moscow was going to stop the project due to the European Union’s stance, that Serbia had not yet received any official notification from Russia’s Gazprom regarding any changes to the project.

He said the Russian president’s statement the project has been halted was regarded in Serbia as a message addressed in the first place to the EU members on which the gas pipeline’s construction depends heavily.

Macedonia’s New Monuments ‘Fuel Ethnic Divisions’ (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 8 December 2014)

The country’s recent monument-building spree is a political project intended to boost the government and feeds ethnic and religious tensions, a new report claims.

Macedonian NGO Civil – Centre for Freedom, which is launching the report called ‘Reality Check’ on Monday in the ethnically-mixed north-western town of Tetovo, said that the recent drive to build scores of new monuments could be a “ticking bomb for inter-ethnic violence” in the future. “The memorialisation of history in Macedonia, especially in recent years, is being misused to the utmost extent. This turns monuments into an explosive that boosts the power of the ruling political structures,” said Dzabir Deralla, the head of Civil. The recent government funded revamp of the Macedonian capital, dubbed ‘Skopje 2014’, saw many new monuments erected in the city centre. But critics say the monuments promote an ethnocentric view of history that is being pushed by Prime Minister Nikola Gruveski’s ruling VMRO DPMNE party.

Deralla said that the new monuments also promote a “culture of violence”. “We have more than 100 monuments [in central Skopje] concentrated in a small area, and most of them depict people carrying weapons, knifes, daggers, swords, guns, sometimes even carrying two weapons at once,” Deralla said. “It justifies extreme violence on ethnic, religious and gender grounds,” he said. Macedonia went through a brief armed conflict in 2001 between security forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents, which ended in the signing of a peace deal that granted greater rights to Albanians, who make up a quarter of the country’s 2.1 million population. But concerns remain that ethnic tensions could again erupt into violence. Last week, during a visit to Macedonia, the outgoing European Parliament rapporteur for the country, MEP Richard Howitt, warned that “vigilance has to remain to prevent any development which could still lead to a return to conflict”. The Civil report is part of a wider project by the NGO called ‘Remembering the Past – Shaping the Future: Local Cultures of Remembrance’, which studies the memorialisation in multi-ethnic Macedonia, where there are also significant Turkish, Serbian, Bosniak and other minorities. In its pilot phase, the project looks at Skopje’s multi-ethnic municipality of Cair, as well as the towns of Kicevo and Tetovo, which also have mixed communities.

It covers a period running from the St Elijah (Ilinden) uprising in 1903, seen as one of the most important events for the ethnic Macedonian majority, to the present day.

Montenegro expects stronger economic support from the EU (New Europe, 7 December 2014)

Montenegro’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Luksic said that his country is confident that the rule of law, economic governance and improvement of administrative capacities, represent the key principle of political stability, security and economic development of the Western Balkans.

On the occasion of the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament in Brussels, the Deputy Prime Minister underlined the importance of the recent visit by Neigbourhood and Enlargement Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, noting that it offered an encouragement and an additional impulse to continue meeting the European agenda priorities.

“Montenegro expects stronger economic support of the EU to the region, particularly in terms of increased infrastructural investments in the region, as there is clear mutual interest,” Luksic said. He noted Montenegro is currently revising its Programme of Accession and adapting the Action Plans for Chapters 23 and 24 in order to make strategic redefinition of priorities and potentials for the next stage of the negotiation process. Luksic emphasised that the country remains aware of the challenges ahead and are firmly devoted to intensive internal reforms aimed at tangible results in the rule of law and economic governance realm. Luksic also spoke about the adoption of new laws in the area of anti-corruption, as well as the work on improving the media environment in terms of media freedoms and ethical standards.

Luksic also noted Montenegro’s position in terms of regional cooperation and the need for closer cooperation. He underlined that Montenegro is fully aligned with the EU when it comes to Foreign, Security, and Defence Policy, noting in particular that Montenegro has proven to be EU’s reliable partner.

Luksic was expected to participate at the North Atlantic Council’s ministerial meeting between NATO and non-NATO foreign ministers, operational partners in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, as well as at the meeting of the global coalition for fighting the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Montenegrins Trust President and Church, Survey Shows (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 9 December 2014)

A new poll shows that President Filip Vujanovic and the Serbian Orthodox Church are the most trusted institutions in the country – while support for the EU and NATO is falling.

A new poll conducted by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights, CEDEM, shows that the President, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the education and healthcare systems enjoy most public trust in the country. Around 50 per cent of respondents voiced confidence in the institution of the President, 55 per cent in the Serbian Orthodox Church and 60 per in the education and healthcare systems. The results of the survey, released on Monday, showed that trust in the political parties and in the Montenegrin Orthodox Church were lower, at around 23 per cent.  CEDEM researcher Milos Besic said confidence was falling in social and political institutions generally. Only about 44 per cent of the respondents trusted the government of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s cabinet, down from 55 per cent in 2010, for example. “If we compare the level of trust in public institutions with other states in the Balkan region, Montenegro is somewhere in the middle,” Besic noted. The survey also indicates that fewer Montenegrins now support joining the EU. In 2009, 76.1 per cent of Montenegrins reported wanting to join the EU. Today, the figure was down to some 48 per cent. Support for NATO membership is also in decline. In a survey conducted in February, 38 per cent of Montenegrins said they supported joining NATO. According to the latest opinion poll, only 34 per cent of people support the idea.

Four Hopefuls Compete for Croatian Presidency (BIRN, by Sven Milekic, 8 December 2014)

Croatian voters will have the choice of four presidential candidates on December 28, with incumbent Ivo Josipovic currently leading in the opinion polls.

Four challengers delivered the required signatures to the state election committee by the Saturday midnight deadline – the fewest to run in the presidential race since 1997.

Each of the hopefuls had to deliver at least 10,000 signatures, which must be counted and verified by midnight on Monday, after which the formal campaign starts.

The first candidate to bring in his signatures was Milan Kujundzic, president of far-right party Croatian Dawn, who is also supported by smaller right-wing parties. He brought around 50,000 signatures on Friday. Kujndzic delivered the signatures at five minutes to noon to symbolise the “abyss upon which the Croatian state stands; the future that is stolen from Croatian children”. Incumbent Ivo Josipovic, who is supported by the governing centre-left coalition and other parties from the centre-left, delivered his 203,000 signatures on Saturday afternoon. His main contender, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, from the main opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, brought in 328,000 signatures. “We collected more signatures than any other candidate in history, since signatures have been gathered for candidacies. Since we got such great support from the people with these signatures, I expect an election victory,” said Grabar Kitarovic.  The final challenger to register was a non-party candidate, Ivan Vilibor Sincic, who delivered 15,000 signatures to the election commission. Sincic is an activist from the ‘Living Wall’ initiative, which is involved in trying to stop forced evictions. He and his team announced what he called a “battle” against “illegal privatisation, war profiteers and forced evictions”. The most recent public opinion survey, conducted by polling agency Promocija Plus last week, suggested that Josipovic has the support of 42.4 per cent voters, Grabar Kitarovic is on 28.3 per cent, while Kujndzic has 11.2 per cent. In terms of policy proposals, Josipovic advocates more participation by citizens in decision-making processes, constitutional changes that will create a better political climate for investments and economic growth, and more decentralisation from Zagreb to the regions. Grabar Kitarovic advocates stimulating small and medium-size entrepreneurships, reforms of the education system, a genuine fight against corruption, and resolving issues with Serbia and other neighbouring countries. Kujundzic advocates regionalisation, more direct involvement of citizens in decision-making processes, constitutional changes giving more influence to the president, and fewer regulations for opening small companies. Sincic wants the cancellation of all privatisations since independence, the amendment of laws regulating the seizure of property of indebted citizens and an end to forced evictions. The first round of elections is scheduled for December 28, while a second round will follow on January 11, if none of the candidates receives more than 50 per cent of the votes.