The President of the Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, said that the opposition's announcement that it will not participate in the local elections for the Belgrade city government, which it announced today for June 2, is an indication of how "schizophrenic" the opposition's policy looks, whose demands "change from day to day".
"If we had gone for repeated elections, they would have been held immediately in April. That is another contradiction," Brnabić told Pink television.
She said that she did not know "what would be the justification for someone to boycott the elections that someone requested".
"Already next week, I invite us to continue working on the recommendations of the ODIHR (the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights after the December elections in Serbia and for the improvement of electoral conditions). If they do not want to sit down with us to work, (they should) send us written requests on how the election conditions would further improve," said Brnabić.
Brnabić stated that the date of the local elections in Belgrade and whether there will be local elections in other local governments on the same day, "has nothing to do with the election conditions".
"Regarding the election conditions, we reached a complete consensus, we as the government with the opposition from 'Serbia against violence', even with the faction around Nestorović. We agreed to the voter list, to the media and the recommendations of the ODIHR. They said: 'Or all or nothing', including that they don't want us to monitor the voter list, neither on media conditions, nor on ODIHR recommendations, the only important date is the date," said Brnabić.
Regarding the request to establish a commission for inspection and supervision of the single voter list, whose members would be from the opposition and civil society organizations, Brnabić said that this request was "in principle" accepted, because the government "has nothing to hide regarding the voter list list", and that there is a readiness to "form a commission in the next 48 hours".
Brnabić announced today the elections for councilors of the Belgrade Assembly for June 2, 2024.
As she stated, she chose the last date for that, because at the request of the opposition and at the request of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the decision was made to hold the elections at the latest date.
"I used the time before the announcement of the elections to try to start a dialogue and through the conversation do everything to ensure that this and every subsequent election takes place in the best order in accordance with democratic standards and that we show the seriousness and responsibility we owe to the citizens," said Brnabić.
She reiterated that her door remains open for dialogue and pointed out that now it is everyone's task "to make the election day pass in the best order".
"I invite all parties and coalitions to compete in ideas and plans and to make sure that the game is fair and correct," said Brnabić and also called on citizens to go to the elections, which, as she put it, "are always a holiday of democracy" and show which direction Belgrade needs to go and how to develop.
The opposition coalitions Serbia against Violence and NADA demanded that local elections be held on the same day in those places in Serbia where voting was not held on December 17 last year, but that request was not accepted at today's meeting of the Collegium of the Parliament, which is why talks on improving election conditions were interrupted. through the implementation of ODIHR recommendations.
The opposition made this request because it suspects that the government, as in the previous elections, will move fictitious voters to Belgrade.
Ponoš: The opposition will not participate in the farce and legitimize election theft
President of the Serbia Center Party (SRCE) Zdravko Ponoš said today, speaking about the decision of the President of the Serbian Parliament Ana Brnabić to call the Belgrade elections for the second of June, that the opposition will not participate in the farce and give legitimacy to "those who steal the elections".
He said on television N1 that he doubts that the elections in Belgrade will be a "holiday of democracy" and added that the current government responds to the opposition which states "but Serbia against violence and NADA will not participate in that".
"We believe that these are not elections and that they are planning theft and manipulation. I don't see how we can go to those elections. That would be disrespect to ourselves and to the voters of the opposition," said Ponoš.
According to him, Serbia is entering an even deeper political crisis.
The parliamentary collegium on the improvement of election conditions between representatives of the opposition and the authorities, which began on April 1, ended today without an agreement.
Jekić: Brnabić was at the head of the government that stole the elections, she has not changed now
The MP of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) in the Serbian Parliament, Dalibor Jekić, said today that the former President of the Government of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, was at the head of the government whose ministries illegally influenced the election results, and today, as the President of the Parliament, she advocates for democratic principles.
"The new Ana Brnabić does not understand that the opposition wants fair elections. I wonder if the president of the Assembly of Serbia is a new Ana Brnabić who has nothing to do with the old Ana Brnabić? The new one allegedly advocates respect for democratic principles, laws and the Constitution, while the old one violated laws, participated in the collapse of all democratic principles, violation of the Constitution and persecution of the media," said Jekić.
According to him, "old Ana Brnabić" was the prime minister through whose ministries "the biggest fraudulent and illegal actions were carried out" that significantly influenced the election result, including bringing people from the Republika Srpska and from the cities of Serbia to vote in the elections in Belgrade. .
"That's called the theft of elections, and the whole world found out about that theft. During the time of that Ana Brnabić, Serbia experienced great shame and the collapse of all institutions, beating citizens at protests, revenge against political opponents, dismissal of opposition children from kindergartens, burning of cars." , assessed Jekić.
He stated that the former prime minister had a significant influence on this state of the country and election conditions, and now "the new Ana wants to declaratively fix everything that the old one did".
"Nova wants to implement all the recommendations of the ODIHR and to work on it together with the opposition, obviously she does not understand that the government must work on it and inform the opposition and the international community by when it will implement all the recommendations" - said the MP.
He believes that no one believes that Brnabić has changed, and that "there is no old and new Ana Brnabić", but only one that is unchanging.
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