Parliament still debating citizenship law

The Serbian parliament today continues its session, with changes to the Law on Citizenship on the agenda. It is item one of the extraordinary session of parliament which started Tuesday, after a break of over a month. Parliament still debating citizenship law Yesterday, the session was adjourned two hours earlier than scheduled because there was no live television broadcast. Also on the agenda are the election of a state auditor, ratification of the CEFTA agreement, and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Yesterday, Interior Minister Dragan Jocic, who proposed the Law on Citizenship on the government’s behalf, in explaining the amendments to MPs, said that the law was essential for that sector to be brought into order after the collapse of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro. According to the proposal, Montenegrin citizens who on June 3, 2006 – the day Montenegro declared independence – had registered residency on the territory of Serbia, will be considered Serbian citizens, provided they submit written documentation stating that they consider themselves to be Serbian citizens, together with a request for their names to be entered into the citizens’ register. Jocic said that those who wanted Serbian citizenship had to be over the age of eighteen and able to work, and prior to submitting a request for citizenship had to sign a statement saying that they accepted Serbia as their country. During yesterday’s debate, the opposition did not look favorably on the changes to the Law on Citizenship. Aleksandar Vucic of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) said that the proposed changes "rewarded separatists who were doing everything they could to harm Serbia." Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic said that his party would not support the changes to the law, because the authorities had not come to any agreement with the Montenegrin government over the question of citizenship after the break-up of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Parliament in session (FoNet)

Parliament still debating citizenship law

Yesterday, the session was adjourned two hours earlier than scheduled because there was no live television broadcast.

Also on the agenda are the election of a state auditor, ratification of the CEFTA agreement, and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

Yesterday, Interior Minister Dragan Jočić, who proposed the Law on Citizenship on the government’s behalf, in explaining the amendments to MPs, said that the law was essential for that sector to be brought into order after the collapse of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

According to the proposal, Montenegrin citizens who on June 3, 2006 – the day Montenegro declared independence – had registered residency on the territory of Serbia, will be considered Serbian citizens, provided they submit written documentation stating that they consider themselves to be Serbian citizens, together with a request for their names to be entered into the citizens’ register.

Jočić said that those who wanted Serbian citizenship had to be over the age of eighteen and able to work, and prior to submitting a request for citizenship had to sign a statement saying that they accepted Serbia as their country.

During yesterday’s debate, the opposition did not look favorably on the changes to the Law on Citizenship.

Aleksandar Vučić of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) said that the proposed changes "rewarded separatists who were doing everything they could to harm Serbia."

Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović said that his party would not support the changes to the law, because the authorities had not come to any agreement with the Montenegrin government over the question of citizenship after the break-up of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro.