LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: We're capable of intervening - but that was nothing (Tanjug/B92)

 

Our forces are disproportionately strong in relation to the need to prevent any possibility of anyone carrying out any attack or action against Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic said this on Thursday, while touring the Jablanica District. "They are so much so superior and convincing in every sense, professionally and in numbers," he stressed, adding that there were "more than enough of them" on the administrative line (with Kosovo), that they could intervene "at any moment." Vucic was in the town of Lebane when he thus responded to journalists asking him "how to preventing (Kosovo) Albanian incursions (into central Serbia), such as recently happened in Kursumlija area villages." He also said he thinks the reaction after that event was exaggerated. "We are talking about thieves who went in to steal in empty houses. They knew the houses were empty, they went in to steal, and that's all," the president stressed. Vucic also said that "a road should be built across the Radan Mountain, in order to increase the number of Serb population in the zone toward the administrative line, because there are almost only Albanians living there." "As far as our forces are concerned, they are more than sufficiently represented to intervene at all times. They are disproportionately large in relation to the need. People should not worry," he underlined. He added that "thievery is happening everywhere, and Serbs rob jewelry stores, houses of other Serbs." "As far as the Albanian-Serb relationship is concerned, there is no need for concern," Vucic stressed.

 

McAllister: Abolishing taxes is the first step to Serbia-Kosovo agreement (Beta)

 

The European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister said that Belgrade and Pristina should reach an agreement that would solve all open issues, before their admission to the EU. At a news conference in Belgrade, McAllister said that the first step toward that was the abolishing of Kosovo's 100-percent taxes. The EU cannot and will not import into its borders

any bilateral frozen conflict, McAllister said. Serbia, like Kosovo, should remain a multiethnic

society, and any agreement can only be acceptable if it is agreed upon by both sides if it is in accordance with international law and if it considers the overall stability of the region, he stated. McAllister announced that he would tell the officials in Kosovo that Pristina's decision to introduce import fees was in violation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and that it also violated the idea of the Stabilization and Association Agreement.

 

Dacic, Joksimovic with McAllister (Beta)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Minister for EU Integration Jadranka Joksimovic met in Belgrade with a delegation of the European Parliament, headed by Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister. During the talks, which dealt with Serbia’s EU path, the reform agenda and the situation in the region, Dacic and Joksimovic expressed gratitude on the continued support provided by McAllister to Serbia on its European path. They also reiterated that EU membership is our foreign policy priority, and that Serbia consistently implements the necessary reforms.

When it comes to the stalemate in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, McAllister stressed that he is advocating the abolition of Pristina’s taxes, and at the same time expressed the hope that the conditions for the continuation of the dialogue will be established. Dacic said he expects the international community to influence the Albanians from the southern Serbian province to fulfil the obligations assumed under the Brussels Agreement and to unconditionally abolish taxes. He reiterated Serbia's position that only after these conditions are fulfilled will the conditions for the continuation of the dialogue be created, according to a statement from the Ministry.

 

Opposition: We told McAllister we are united in protests (Beta)

 

The representatives of the opposition in Serbia announced that they had told McAllister that they were united in the protests, where they demanded fair elections, media freedom and the rule of law. A Democratic Party MP, Aleksandra Jerkov, said that they had informed McAllister about the main demands of the protest, which fit in one word – "freedom." "We received a response from McAllister... that the EU was very critical of the situation in the parliament and the media," Jerkov said. The president of the Social Democratic Party and former Serbian president, Boris Tadic, said that the slowing down of European integration suited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, because he had more control over Serbia due to that, but also suited European politicians who were afraid of the subject, which was not popular in their countries. Sabac Mayor Nebojsa Zelenovic said that the opposition could not participate in the work of a parliament that does not work, and that the people were saying this at their regular protests every Saturday. "McAllister could see the united opposition, which is conveying the messages the people send from the streets each Saturday," Zelenovic stated.

 

Dacic: Serbia, Albania can solve Kosovo issue by compromise (Tanjug)

 

Serbia and Albania can solve the Kosovo and Metohija issue, as well as other challenges facing both countries, by compromise and in a mutually acceptable, sustainable way, Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said Thursday. At a Tanjug panel on Serbian-Albanian relations, Dacic said agreements on the seats of the Tirana-based Regional Youth Cooperation Office and the Western Balkans Fund and the Belgrade-based Transport Community Treaty Permanent Secretariat were proof of mutual support, to the benefit of both countries and the entire region. Regional cooperation, in particular within the Berlin Process, offers potential for joint activities by Serbia and Albania, he said at the panel, hosted by the Norwegian Ambassador to Serbia. The two nations can agree to disagree on Kosovo and Metohija, the toughest open issue, Dacic said, expressing the confidence they could still agree on the fact they would relate to one other in the future as well.  Dacic said it’s logical for Serbia and Albania to support each other on their way to the EU. “It’s logical and to be expected for Serbia and Albania to support each other before EU institutions” despite differences over Kosovo and alleged Albanian pretension in the region, he said at a meeting on relations between the Serbian and Albanian people. A ministry press release quoted him as saying that the two countries are facing similar problems in reforms and their European integration process which could bring them closer together. He said there are a lot of fields of cooperation including regional initiatives and the economy. Dacic recalled that Serbia has been showing readiness and a desire to promote cooperation between the two countries and warned that the divide and conquer strategy was never as successful as in the case of Serbian-Albanian relations.

 

Stefanovic to Interpol: Only change is that many are giving up from recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has sent a letter to the Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock and Interpol President Kim Jong Yang where he requested this international police organization not to examine the repeated request of so-called Kosovo for membership. “Since the holding of the Interpol General Assembly in Dubai in 2018, no essential changes happened that would lead to abandoning the then decision on not accepting the so-called Kosovo. In fact, the only change precisely supports the stands of the Republic of Serbia against such request and it reflects in the increase of the number of states that had withdrawn recognition of the so-called Kosovo,” Stefanovic is quoted by the Serbian Interior Ministry.

 

Jeremic: Most Serbs will never accept independence of Kosovo (Beta)

 

The leader of the People's Party and one of the leaders of the Alliance for Serbia Vuk Jeremic stated in Washington that the majority of Serbs would never accept Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state. "I was told at the Department of State that we had to understand that Kosovo was an independent state and accept the reality that would not change. I am afraid that is not possible for anyone who has regard for our cultural and national identity," Jeremic said during a lecture at Georgetown University, as conveyed by the People's Party. Jeremic also met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer at the Department of State. "It is absolutely impossible for us to give up on Kosovo and Metohija. Nobody in the history of Serbia has done that," Jeremic said. He advocated the urgent securing of normal living conditions "... so that Serbs and Albanians can start living without tension." "It is currently very hard because the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina are composed of people who have been deeply involved in the hostilities of the 1990s. Hashim Thaci was a war commander and, I deeply believe, a war criminal, while Aleksandar Vucic was Milosevic's minister of information. I doubt that the two of them are able to reach an agreement on the normalization of life, all together with their

colleague Ramush Haradinaj," Jeremic stated. He stressed that he opposed the rearrangement of

borders according to the ethnic principle because that would be a dangerous precedent for the region, with potentially catastrophic consequences.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

B&H House of Peoples: Izetbegovic Chairman, Covic and Spiric deputies (Srna)

 

The inaugural session of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Peoples ended with the election of Bakir Izetbegovic as House Chairman, Dragan Covic as first deputy and Nikola Spiric as the second deputy. By this order, the elected officials will rotate every eight months during the term of the House of Peoples. Of the present 14, out of the total of 15 members of the House of Peoples, 12 voted for the chairman and his deputies, and two refrained from voting.

 

In keeping with the agenda, the Serbian, Croatian and Bosniak Caucuses were formed. Sredoje Novic was elected the chairman of the Serbian Caucus and Dusanka Majkic was elected his deputy. Lidija Bradara was elected the chairperson of the Croatian Caucus and Barisa Colak was elected her deputy. Asim Sarajlic was elected the chairman of the Bosniak Caucus and Denis Becirovic was elected his deputy.

 

Bosniak, Croat Presidency members host Independence Day reception (Fena)

 

The traditional reception on the eve of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)’s Independence Day was again hosted only by the Bosniak and the Croat members of the tripartite presidency on Thursday, while the Serb member chose to spend the evening in Belgrade, where he marked the day when the Serb-majority part of the country adopted its first Constitution. Apart from the two Presidency members and numerous officials and diplomats, the Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the head of B&H’s Islamic Community, Husein Effendi Kavazovic, B&H’s Archbishop Vinko Puljic and the head of the Jewish Community, Jakob Finci, attended the reception.

 

“The dates of February 29 and March 1 will always remain written down in our history as the days when most of the citizens of this country voted for an independent B&H” said Zeljko Komsic, the B&H Croat presidency member, in his speech.

 

B&H held a referendum on independence from Yugoslavia on February 29, 1992, after Slovenia and Croatia left the joint country. Bosniaks and Croats overwhelmingly voted in favor, while Bosnian Serbs, who preferred to stay in the then Serb-dominated Yugoslavia, boycotted the vote.

As the result showed that the majority of those who voted opted for independence, B&H declared the next day, March 1st, that it seceded from Yugoslavia.

 

Komsic said Bosnians should remember and keep repeating the referendum question because it is “a reminder to what kind of country its citizens wanted, and I believe they wanted it still today. Are you in favor of a sovereign and independent B&H, a state of equal citizens, peoples of B&H - Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of other peoples who live there?” the people were asked 27 years ago. Although most Bosnians answered the question affirmatively, “we paid a high price, and, unfortunately, suffered huge losses” Komsic said, adding that in the end “we managed to, together, defend ourselves from those who tried to undermine the independence, integrity and sovereignty of our country. Unfortunately, that battle for our country as was described in that referendum is still ongoing, and it seems, with a higher intensity than ever” Komsic warned.

He defined B&H as a country composed of different identities, but then again having its own “identity of centuries-long tolerance and life together. That is how it was, how it is now, and how it will, despite everything, stay,” he stressed, adding that B&H’s future is within the European Union and NATO.

 

Komsic’s Bosniak colleague, Sefik Dzaferovic, said that nearly two-thirds of B&H’s citizens voted for independence and at the same time “against greater-state policies which were on the scene with a clear plan to divide B&H. We have successfully overcome the most difficult of all of those challenges, the aggression which took place after the independence was declared,” he said. Dzaferovic said the sacrifices made to achieve such a B&H obligate its citizens to maintain and build up the country. He said that new challenges await B&H, “destructive political forces,” some of which “are trying to achieve their unfulfilled wartime goals,” and are “becoming louder.” He blamed those who still insist on the dissolution of the country for the instability and constant crisis that slows the economic growth and makes young people leave. He insisted that those forces will not prevent B&H from joining NATO and the EU. The behavior of those destructive forces “brings nothing good to anyone in this country, especially to those in whose name it is being conducted” he said. “That is why it is necessary for all politicians to stop their negative rhetoric and destructive moves and for all of us to turn toward a constructive dialogue based on truth and justice, mutual respect, respect for the rule of law, European standards and cooperation among all of our peoples” Dzaferovic concluded.

 

B&H Prime Minister congratulates Independence Day (Fena)

 

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Denis Zvizdic has sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of Independence Day of B&H to all citizens.

He reminded that B&H’s Council of ministers sent additional 655 questions to the European Commission Questionnaire, which successfully closed the most complex phase of the European integration process and fulfilled the conditions for obtaining candidate status.

“Four most successful years regarding European integration are behind B&H and we are doing everything to speed up NATO’s integration process” Zvizdic said.

 

He added that equal will and determination was showed to become part of a large European family of states and to ensure the lasting peace and stability, the same as 27 years ago when the sovereignty and independence of the country were decided.

“In doing so, our values ​​and goals remain unchanged: B&H as a sovereign and independent state in which all citizens enjoy equal rights and freedoms. Today, when we are successfully mapping the European path, I am proud to congratulate you March 1st, Independence Day of our only homeland, B&H” was stated in the greeting of B&H Council of Ministers chairman.

 

Dodik: March 1st is private holiday of Bosniaks in B&H (Srna)

 

The Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency, Milorad Dodik, told Srna that there is no a B&H law on holidays that was agreed to by all the three constituent peoples in B&H, which means that March 1st is not a holiday and that this date remains a private holiday of Bosniaks in B&H.

“March 1 will never be celebrated in Republika Srpska (RS) since it is a tragic reminder of a day when everything our and other peoples are entitled to was attacked in Sarajevo. They first outvoted us, then attacked the most important national symbol and finally killed a Serbian wedding guest” Dodik said.

 

He says the insistence on this date as a holiday, which Serbs will never be able to celebrate, demonstrates all the blindness of, primarily, Bosniak politics, which even 27 years later is not giving up the policy symbolized by March 1st.

“This tells us that the idea that they can deprive us of our right to vote, that they can burn our flag and kill our people is still alive in Sarajevo. For us, March 1 is not and will never be a date to celebrate, but the date which is an eternal warning of what would have happened had not we fought for RS” Dodik said.

 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic also said that March 1st, which Federation of B&H marks as the "Independence Day of B&H" is not a national holiday for RS that will continue to celebrate January 9 – RS Day. Viskovic stressed that March 1, 1992, is the day of dissolution of B&H.

"This day is celebrated by those who then tried to expel us from this area, to abolish our right to vote, who outvoted us, but now they are in some way advocating the state of B&H, in which we also need to feel welcome and at home, something does not fit here" Viskovic told reporters. He called on Federation of B&H representatives to think about it.

"As far as we are concerned, let them celebrate March 1. We will celebrate January 9. Only there is one big difference - we celebrate January 9 from the RS budget, while they celebrate March 1 from the joint budget, using the money from both RS and RS taxpayers" Viskovic pointed out.

 

In Federation of B&H with majority Bosniak population, March 1 is marked as "B&H Independence Day", while RS dos not celebrate this date.

 

Viskovic: Who wants war, may they have it at home (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic says he does not think a war might reoccur in these parts and that all open issues in the Balkans and a wider region can be resolved only through agreement, talks and a normal, fair cooperation.

“Those who think they can achieve something by war are sadly mistaken. If there are such people in the Balkans, I urge them to visit some institutions and perhaps seek help, since, simply, people who live here are fed up with wars” Viskovic said at a press conference with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic in Belgrade after a joint session of RS and Serbian Governments.

 

When asked about his interview for the Russian Gazette, Viskovic said he had not said that the Balkans is a potential powder keg and explained that journalist's question contained such a phrase. Viskovic said he had said in the interview, “who wants war, may they have it at home,” but that one must not neglect the fact that there are people in these parts who by their actions are invoking forces which could side with one or another side. The RS Prime Minister said that many think that this is the only way to resolve open issues, but that he is absolutely against such an idea. “I will reiterate, who wants war, may they have it at home, so let them see how they can live under such circumstances” Viskovic said.

 

Covic: There is no obstacle for the Council of Ministers to be formed soon (Nezavisne)

 

Deputy Chairman of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), Dragan Covic, hopes that, after its establishment, this House will soon begin to work in full capacity and express the conviction that there is no obstacle to the formation of the Council of Ministers. "I firmly believe that we will have a joint collegium of both houses next week, but we have to agree on that" Covic told reporters.

 

Covic, who is also the president of the HDZ B&H, speaking about the formation of the Council of Ministers, reminded that this was agreed by the presidents of political parties.

"The talks have begun, I am convinced that there are no obstacles for us to have the Council of Ministers within the legally stipulated deadline" said Covic, stressing that this means that a mandate holder may be appointed immediately. "It is quite certain that we will have a Council of Ministers next month" Covic convinced.

 

Covic said he agreed with the SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic to call the SNSD president Milorad Dodik for a new meeting regarding the formation of authorities. "I believe that we will soon have a need to sit down again - it means in the next few days" said Covic.

 

Izetbegovic: Coalition between SDA and SBB more plausible than the one with DF (Srna)

 

Chairman of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and SDA President Bakir Izetbegovic said that a coalition between SDA and SBB is more plausible than the one with DF. He said that for now, he does not see DF as part of the ruling coalition. He recalled that last year the SDA called for a broad coalition, but now considers it not to be a realistic option.

 

Izetbegovic said that coalition with SBB seems more likely and that they should join the PDA and A-SDA, since there has been no response from the leftist parties for four months.

 

Izetbegovic hopes that a new Council of Ministers will be formed by the end of March, after a parliamentary majority is defined at the B&H level.

"The activation of the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) in NATO should be treated as a technical matter, because all relevant laws and decisions have been adopted. We need to be abided by the Constitution and the laws" added Izetbegovic.

 

Croatia

 

Most parties support NATO membership for North Macedonia (Hina)

 

During a parliamentary debate on the ratification of the protocol of North Macedonia's admission to the North Atlantic Treaty, a majority of Croatian parliamentary clubs supported the entry of the 30th member into NATO, explaining that this would make the Euro-Atlantic space safer and more stable, whereas opposition party Zivi Zid lawmakers used the debate to express their criticism against the alliance.

 

Presenting the motion for the ratification of the protocol, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andreja Metelko Zgombic said that Croatia had always supported North Macedonia's accession to NATO, and that the support was intensified after Zagreb joined the alliance.

Branimir Bunjac of the Zivi Zid accused NATO of killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and said that neither Croatia nor Macedonia organized a referendum on their accession to the alliance. Bunjac also wondered which left party could support NATO, which prompted Josko Klisovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to respond that those left options that feel responsibility towards the security of their citizens and their countries supported NATO.

Klisovic also retorted with a counter-question whether Croatia would have been exposed to the war in the 1990s, had it been a member of NATO. The admission into NATO closes a gap in that part of Europe, he said adding that the collective security would be bolstered.

Vesna Pusic of the GLAS party congratulated North Macedonia for reaching the point at which it would enter the alliance, and described it as a historic moment.

Independent lawmaker Tomislav Zagar underscored North Macedonia's efforts including the acceptance of a compromise including the name change.

 

Is this the end of Milo Djukanovic's rule? (Index)

 

Milo Djukanovic came to power in Montenegro in the late 1980s as a young and promising politician, writes Croatian website Index. The article recalls that Djukanovic, during the so-called "Yogurt Revolution", with Momir Bulatovic, took power in the smallest Yugoslav republic, and focused on a close alliance with Slobodan Milosevic and Serbia, which Milosevic ruled at that time. But, in the second half of the 1990s, Djukanovic, who was then the prime minister, began to distance himself from Milosevic and Bulatovic and won a number of elections running both for president or prime minister, and turning Montenegro towards the West.

Montenegro is now a member of NATO and probably the Western Balkans country that is the closest to EU membership. However, it seems that the three decades of Djukanovic's rule and that of his party, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), are coming to an end.

Namely, Djukanovic - who was reelected as president in 2018 - has for years been accused of smuggling, corruption and various other illegal acts. And recently a video surfaced that could prove to be fatal for his the multi-decade rule of Montenegro.

Montenegro is currently shaken by the so-called "Atlas Affair" - involving Djukanovic and probably the richest Montenegrin tycoon Dusko Knezevic, a former Djukanovic ally, now his fierce opponent. Knezevic, who resides in London, has published a number of documents against Djukanovic from London, whose credit card debts he claimed to have been covering, as well as paying for holidays in Dubai, and guaranteeing for his loans. The renegade Knezevic also published footage showing former mayor of Podgorica, now the official of the Montenegrin Presidency Slavoljub Stijepovic, receive from Knezevic an envelope containing 97,000 euros ahead of local and parliamentary elections in 2016.

All this is happening in the wider context of big protests against Djukanovic's rule - and it seems that Montenegrins have finally had enough when it comes to "murky business" of their multi-decade leader, Index writes.

 

Republic of North Macedonia

 

Zaev meets Chancellor Kurz: Austria remains a great friend and supporter of the Republic of North Macedonia (Republika)

 

The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, met yesterday in Vienna with the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, the Government said in a press release.

Noting that every visit to Austria is a pleasure, Prime Minister Zaev thanked Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for Austria’s support to North Macedonia and the Western Balkans region.

“Now that the implementation of the Prespa agreement has begun, we are focusing entirely on the reforms at home. The agreement has a positive impact on the entire region. With the agreement, we managed to show that a lot can be achieved through partnership and dialogue” stressed Prime Minister Zaev at the meeting with Chancellor Kurz.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Zaev underlined that the membership of North Macedonia in the European Union is the only option. After the historic agreement between our country and Greece, it is time to dedicate ourselves to the economic issues in the country, said Prime Minister Zaev, adding that this year they will direct all efforts towards accelerated economic growth.

The meeting, as the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz stressed, once again shows and proves the friendship between the two countries. After the success in settling the dispute with Greece, Austria hopes that this year the Republic of North Macedonia will start negotiations with the European Union, in that process, said Chancellor Kurz, Austria will continue to provide the necessary support to North Macedonia.

 

Albania

 

SMI 'seeks' dialogue through President Ilir Meta (ADN)

 

The member of Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), Edmond Panariti, stated on Thursday that the opposition would be ready to accept a political dialogue called by the President Ilir Meta to resolve political conflict after resignation of the opposition from the Parliamentary Mandates and protests. According to him, President Meta is the only one above the parties and the one who can take such an initiative in times of crisis. He added that with a transitional government, Albania can go smoothly towards the challenge of opening negotiations with European Union (EU).

 

Democrats on the Electoral List, Refuse MPs Mandate (ADN)

 

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has been set in motion to replace the 'burned' mandates of the opposition's MPs. This institution has called Ina Haxhija from the ranks of the Democratic Party to replace the mandate of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, but apparently, she will not do such a thing. In a short comment she said that she cannot replace Sali Berisha's name with some other name and thus denied the CEC's call.

After the burning of parliamentary mandates by opposition MPs, the CEC contacted 40 DP candidates and 17 SMIs to fill vacancies in Parliament. In case of non-acceptance of the mandate, the CEC will proceed with the followers in the list, according to the respective circles.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Vucic Wants Opposition to Boycott Serbia’s Elections (BIRN)

 

If Serbia’s President can maneuver the main opposition bloc into boycotting the next elections he might lose some legitimacy – but that won’t worry him or his supporters very much.

Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vucic, announced the possibility of early parliamentary elections on February 19, adding that he will “soon decide on this”. Those who follow Vucic’s statements know they are not particularly reliable. He used to claim that he would never run for the presidency. In 2017 he did run and blew his “political godfather” Tomislav Nikolic, out of the political water.

 

Dragan Djilas, one of the leaders of the opposition Alliance for Serbia bloc, SZS, was quick to respond to the talk of early elections, saying that if nothing changed, the SZS will not take part in early, or regular, elections under the current conditions.

“You have been pressuring us for six years, criminalizing the country, and then you say ‘elections’. The topic for us is not this but how to restore democracy and freedom,” Djilas said.

 

Elections should be held on April 24 next year. There is no doubt that they will exacerbate tensions between the government and the SZS bloc, which in the meantime has left parliament.

Elections could also further stimulate the discontent of a large number of citizens who have been holding weekend protests since December 8 last year against Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS. These started in Belgrade after an opposition politician, Borko Stefanovic, was attacked at a rally in Krusevac. They have since spread to over 50 towns and cities. One of the reasons for their discontent is precisely elections and electoral conditions.

For years now, elections in Serbia, from local to parliamentary and presidential ones, have been far from free and democratic. Following numerous recorded irregularities in the local elections in the municipality of Lucani on December 16 last year, the Alliance for Serbia decided to boycott all further elections until conditions changed.

 

The SZS leaders hope that talk of a boycott will force Vucic to level the playing field. Zoran Lutovac, president of the Democratic Party, one of the members of the SZS, says the aim is not to boycott elections but to secure free and fair polls.

 

Vucic’s announcement of special elections shows that he and his associates are unruffled by such threats. They are ignoring the whole story about election conditions, and so telling their voters that everything is fine. When talking about the opposition and elections, Vucic uses belittling language, promising elections “whenever you want them,” or saying: “You’ll never beat me.”

 

Instead of election conditions, he diverts the discussion to when elections will be held. Early elections are, in fact, Vucic’s favorite toy, because, as President, he can schedule them whenever it suits him. He knows well what elections mean if the main competitor boycotts them – like a sports match without an opponent. Vucic has the experience of this from the time of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime. Milosevic had the same problem in 1990 when the opposition announced a boycott of Serbia’s first multi-party elections since World War II.

 

Some of the important presidential candidates, such as Vuk Draskovic, president of the Serbian Renewal Movement, withdrew their candidacy. Even a hardliner like Milosevic, faced with this pressure from the public, and from the international community, too, flinched. He agreed to change the election conditions. The opposition then took part. It is unlikely that Vucic, a disciple of the Hague Tribunal’s convicted war criminal Vojislav Seselj, will give in to the opposition like Milosevic did. Vucic has drawn a “moral” from Milosevic’s reign; but instead of going towards the democratization of society, opening up the media and leading a dialogue, he is heading in the opposite direction. Where Milosevic was lenient, or “soft”, Vucic tightens the reins and adds pressure, suffocating every word of criticism, disparaging the opposition and those who do not share his views.

 

He refers to the opposition leaders as thieves and traitors, although none of them has ever been convicted of a crime. He has expensive videos shot about them, ridiculing them. His media drag them through the mud daily. The situation with the boycott is in some ways schizophrenic because both sides spy their chance in abstaining from the elections. For the SZS, a threatened boycott is a tool to pressure its way towards fair elections, which would pave the way to finally defeating Vucic. For Vucic, it is an ideal chance to fortify the current government and win another four-year mandate.

 

Boycotts at the same time present a risk for both sides.

 

For the opposition, “forfeiting” its seats in parliament could narrow its room for political action and bring the added danger of additional marginalization. There are financial consequences, too; they would lose the money from the budget awarded to parliamentary parties. A boycott could also be a point of discord within the SZS. Vucic is not sitting around doing nothing. He will try to create a split in the coalition through his moles. But, sure of victory as he may be, Vucic is still left with the question of how the EU and Washington will view elections that the democratic opposition has boycotted. However necessary America and the European Union see Vucic in terms of reaching a final agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, there will come a time when he will have to pay the piper for such elections. Nor will citizens on the streets take the complete disregard of the story about electoral conditions lying down.

 

Let us take a look at these conditions.

 

If one were to choose one of the least free countries in Europe at this moment, Serbia would be among the front-runners. The latest report of Freedom House moves Serbia from the group of “free” countries to “partially free” countries precisely because of its many “electoral irregularities.” For example, no one even knows the exact number of voters. Registered lists are a mess. They include the dead, made-up names and people who emigrated a long time ago.

Of the 7.18 million of residents recorded in the last census in 2011, 6.72 million voters are on the “updated” voter lists, which is impossible. After subtracting the 18 to 20 percent of minors alone from a population of 7.18 million, the figure reached is less than 6 million.

So, at least 700,000 names are on the list are dubious or redundant. This gives the government ample room for manipulation. The blame for this situation falls on previous governments as well, since they did not resolve this problem. Another reason why elections in Serbia are such a mockery is the routine buying of votes for money or through promises of jobs and other privileges. There are written testimonies about this. On November 6, 2018, the mayor of Sabac, Nebojsa Zelenovic, submitted supportive documentation on this matter to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The documents describe blackmails and threats made against individuals to get them to vote for the ruling party.

 

The opposition is also unable to reliably monitor either elections or the results of the voting.

At the already mentioned elections in Lucani, the SZS did not have reports from polling stations because their controllers were prevented from observing the voting. But activists of the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability, CRTA, said that they saw a large number of vehicles from other towns in Serbia in Lucani. They said these vehicles carried people with lists “resembling parallel record keeping”. This prompts the conclusion that someone else controlled the electoral process there – but not the electoral committees. There can hardly be talk of free elections in such an atmosphere. Still, the darkest side of all is the media. Apart for one television, N1, one low-circulation daily, Danas, and two weeklies, the media scene in Serbia is in the hands of the regime.

 

The tabloids and the pro-Vucic television stations, Pink, TV Happy, Studio B, and others, compete to dish out more lies and insults about the government’s critics. To describe all the dark sides of the media would require thousands of lines. We will only mention the evaluation of the watchdog organization Reporters without Borders. It has said that the media in Serbia are the worst in the Balkans and that, “under President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia became a country where it is not safe to be a journalist”.

 

Vucic’s behaviour till now points to a conclusion that he will do everything he can to get the democratic opposition to boycott the elections. As President, he has already started the election campaign, visiting senior citizens’ homes, children’s hospitals, towns and cities. His presidential role enables him to mask the campaign for the early parliamentary elections, about which he “will soon make the decision.” And he will open the champagne after the race against “his” opposition. Cedomir Jovanovic, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, has already announced his participation. He will surely be joined by Seselj’s ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party which is in a silent coalition with Vucic’s SNS, and the League of Social Democrats under Nenad Canak. Vucic can also count on the Social Democratic Party of the current Trade Minister Rasim Ljaljic. All of them will – with perhaps a few others yet to be pulled out of the hat – pose as the opposition.

 

In those elections, whenever they happen, Vucic will confirm the legality of his government. He will lose legitimacy, but legitimacy does not matter much to his supporters. For their difficult social position, they can always blame the Albanians, Croats, the West … and the domestic “traitors” gathered around the SZS.