People are furious, nervous, angry, at the limit of patience. The situation is chaotic and caused by everything that has been happening in Serbia for the last ten years, and it only culminated in the period before and on the election day itself. This is the end of one of the saddest years in our history.
This is how Dragan Đilas, president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SPP) and one of the leaders of the coalition Serbia against Violence, describes the current atmosphere in Serbia in an interview with Vijesti.
The very fact that this conversation is taking place during a break between the visit of MP Marinika Tepić, who, along with five other opposition politicians, is already on hunger strike for the 11th day, and the daily protests of students and dissatisfied citizens, completes the current political situation in Serbia.
If there was such media darkness in Montenegro as it is today in Serbia, I believe that the same people who ruled for 30 years would still be in power.
"We are asking for the annulment of the elections at all levels, first of all, in Belgrade, because there the theft was the most obvious and the citizens' will to vote was violated. This can also be seen if you simply compare the number of votes received by the government and the opposition. The difference is much greater if we take into account the buying of votes from the interior of Serbia and the importation of voters from Republika Srpska.
As for the republican, provincial and local elections in many cities, it is completely clear that there were irregularities, theft, and manipulation at those levels as well, and that there are reasons to hold elections again at those levels, but under different conditions," said Đilas and noted that he will not and cannot give up these demands because, according to him, that would mean agreeing to the practice according to which in elections in Serbia you can win a certain number of council mandates, parliamentary seats, but you cannot replace the government.
How realistic are the chances that Aleksandar Vučić will accept these demands?
I think that the SNS will not dare to form the government in Belgrade, regardless of whether they could do it with the list of Dr. Branimir Nestorović "We - the voice of the people". A large number of irregularities listed in the preliminary report of the ODIHR are evident, and were also noticed by observers from the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
As for the parliamentary elections, we have to come up with different conditions because in Serbia we have a situation where 50 percent of the citizens have no other sources of information than pro-regime newspapers and tabloids which have been constantly, for ten years, slandering not only the opposition but all people who think differently. And that is clearly visible from the election results. In larger cities, such as Leskovac or Pirot, where the media picture is somewhat different, Serbia against violence and other opposition lists won. On the outskirts of those same cities or in the surrounding villages, however, there were polling stations where we received virtually no votes. This is proof that these people do not get any other information than what is served to them by the government, and in these environments no control of elections is possible.
Those who criticize the Serbian opposition say that similar conditions existed in Montenegro, but that there was still a change of government?
The situation in Montenegro, before the changes, was significantly different. First of all, you didn't have tabloids, the most watched television was TV Vijesti, the newspaper Vijesti was the most read, and your portal was the most visited. Citizens could make a decision based on different information and they chose a change of government. If there was such media darkness in Montenegro as it is today in Serbia, I believe that the same people who ruled for 30 years would still be in power.
The Serbian Orthodox Church most often openly criticizes us, they call me and other opposition leaders directly, the patriarch did not remember to call these people to stop the hunger strike... The SPC is directly connected to the SNS and that is quite obvious in Serbia, it seems to me , and in Montenegro
If, however, the government in Serbia remains with its current position, what can the opposition objectively do?
We direct our activities in three directions. We are addressing the Republic Election Commission and the Constitutional Court. We file complaints and take other steps, but the problem is that the institutions in Serbia do not exist. We are also talking with representatives of the international community.
What is their reaction?
Some of them tell us that we need to provide them with more evidence, for example, about vote buying. We can only provide them with recordings or some testimonies, but the real evidence should be provided by the police, who, for example, did not want to respond to our requests and warnings on election day. I sincerely expect that the international community, which sent observers at the request of the authorities, will exert a certain pressure to respect the objections of the people they sent and to hold new elections, but elections, I repeat, that will not be similar to what we had until now.
The third direction is, I guess, protests?
Yes, pressure on the government through protests and other democratic methods is what we can objectively do.
Speaking of the protest, is it known at this moment how many people were arrested after the protest in front of the City Assembly and what is happening to them?
It should be said, first of all, that for years we have been living under constant pressure and accusations from the authorities, as a rule before every election, as we prepare coups, hire criminals, pay people to make riots... And this time it is repeated. On that day, when Vladimir Obradović, a member of the Provisional Authority, tried to enter the City Assembly, some windows were broken, stones were thrown, some damage was caused, which, admittedly, is not greater than that which is regularly left behind by fan groups after some matches . When people started to disperse, some people appeared masked with hoods and with some kind of slats that, among other things, smashed cars. What followed was a disproportionate reaction by a huge number of members of the gendarmerie who used force indiscriminately. One of the demonstrators had his leg broken, and 38 people were arrested. Among them even one high school student. Some were released, some accepted the bargain with the admission that they had committed the criminal offense of subverting the constitutional order, which is truly incredible. One of the arrested is a law student who is now preparing for exams in the student dormitory with a nanoglass... People were arrested on the streets, while they were leaving the protest, and their detention was ordered by the prosecutor who, after the events in Banjska, in which four people died, immediately released Milan Radoičić.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Ane Brnabić thanked the Russian service for, as she said, the information that points to the "Western hand in the opposition protests"?
First of all, what she said is proof not only that the Russian intelligence service operates in Serbia, but also that it manages our services, which is the result of cooperation established by Aleksandar Vulin several years ago. Then, based on tips from Serbia, Russian opposition members and activists were arrested, and some were sentenced to several years in prison. Even more incredible than Brnabić's statement is Ambassador Harčenko's claim that Aleksandar Vučić gave him information about the West's involvement in the demonstrations!? Who is telling the truth?
Speaking of diplomatic representatives, Voja Žanetić wrote these days, on the same occasion, that only in Serbia is it possible for the American ambassador to be an assistant to a Russian colleague?
The reason is Mr. Christopher Hill's statements, which at the beginning were very similar to the assessments of the Russian ambassador. Hill stated, namely, that he is looking forward to continued cooperation with the Government of Serbia. We are very unhappy about that because it is simply unbelievable that the American ambassador would say something like that despite the assessments that came not from representatives of the Serbian opposition but from European observers.
In Montenegro, the presence of Andrija Mandić in the election headquarters of the Serbian Progressive Party during the election night caused a lot of attention and various comments?
Well, well, Andrija Mandić is the extended arm of Aleksandar Vučić.
However, he is also the president of the Parliament of Montenegro.
Yes, but Milorad Dodik is also the president of Republika Srpska, so he votes in Belgrade, and BiH Police Minister Nenad Nešić in Novi Sad. We are not at all surprised by this, nor is the arrival of Mandić in the SNS election headquarters. Their closeness in political views is known, but it is unusual for the second or third person of Montenegro to reside in another country in the election headquarters of one party. I repeat, it may be a surprise for Montenegro, but it is not for us because we have gotten used to such situations all these years.
Speaking of organized voting, the statement of Vladimir Đukanović, a member of the Presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party, who publicly admitted that the government in Serbia organized voters to the elections in Montenegro, caused a lot of publicity in Montenegro. Some parties in Montenegro believe that the Serbian opposition has not made a clear decision about that problem?
I must honestly admit that we have very little time to devote ourselves to the obviously important issues concerning Montenegro and relations with Serbia, that is, with the current government. Under constant fire from the regime, we spend almost all our resources to protect our people who are threatened, their cars are set on fire, their children are kicked out of kindergarten. However, I have to say that for us, the interference of the state of Serbia in the election process in Montenegro is completely unacceptable. The same as bringing voters from Republika Srpska to the elections in Serbia. We absolutely condemn such things. My position is absolutely clear. As a country, Montenegro is the closest to Serbia, the Serbian and Montenegrin people are the closest to each other. Our relations must be much better and develop in that direction without any interference in the internal affairs of Montenegro.
In Montenegro, the role of the SPC also causes a lot of controversy. What is the relationship between the Serbian opposition and the Serbian Orthodox Church?
The Serbian Orthodox Church most often openly criticizes us, they call me and other opposition leaders directly, the patriarch did not remember to call these people to stop the hunger strike... The SPC is directly connected to the SNS and that is quite obvious in Serbia, it seems to me , and in Montenegro.
Does the Serbian opposition have contacts with Montenegrin political subjects? Do you expect support from Montenegro and from whom?
The Party of Freedom and Justice is a member of the Party of European Social Democrats. In that organization, DPS and SD are from Montenegro. We don't really have any communication with them and, frankly, we don't expect any support. On the other hand, from the political parties, we only had some contacts with the Democrats. I understand, I wouldn't say fear, rather the uneasiness of the people who make up the current government in Montenegro from cooperation with the Serbian opposition because they rightly wonder how Aleksandar Vučić would react to that. Nevertheless, I am sure that after this political crisis we will establish much closer relations in the interest of both countries, both peoples and everything that connects us.
Bonus video:
