Nikolić holds rally in Kragujevac

Tomislav Nikolic told an election rally in Kragujevac yesterday that the coming presidential vote was vital for Serbia’s fate. "The election is a crucial battle, because the citizens will decide on Serbia's fate," stressed the Serb Radical Party (SRS) presidential candidate before a mass of supporters at the Jezero sports hall. Nikolic holds rally in Kragujevac Underlining that he would never recognize Kosovo independence, and that Serbia would only join the European Union as an integral state, he said that Serbia would not negotiate with the EU if it usurped Kosovo. “I’ve no intention of deceiving you. In the Serbian Constitution, it says that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, so what have I got to dream up, when you decided it in a referendum,“ said Nikolic, adding that “Kosovo independence might be declared by force,“ and that that was when the battle would begin. “We won’t go to war. Neither can we, nor will we,“ said the SRS deputy leader, stressing that the nation’s children would not fight abroad in missions in Afghanistan or Iraq, as there was no need for this. He said that a parliamentary session on Kosovo was due where every politician would say what he planned to do in the event of a declaration of independence, after which voters would decide who to vote for. “Let Kosovo be the pledge of every Serbian citizen,“ declared Nikolic, adding that the message to those countries that were considering recognizing Kosovo’s independence was: “Keep at arm’s length. You’ve taken our heart.“ The SRS candidate said that he would be a president who would dare to come out before citizens at any time, and that he would not promise what he could not deliver. “We’ve had elections many times in the past, but this is the key battle, the decisive battle which will take place on January 20, and you will decide on Serbia’s fate,“ he told the SRS faithful in Kragujevac. Nikolic stressed that he had launched his election campaign deep within Serbia’s heartland, from the Bor mines to show who he was fighting for, and added that he was fighting for the poorest and most endangered, for children who did not have the money for an education, and pensioners who could not afford medical treatment. “I don’t hate anyone. I’d like to unite Serbia, not divide it,“ said the Radicals’ candidate. Other speakers at the rally included officials Aleksandar Vucic, Natasa Jovanovic, Dragan Todorovic, Jorgovanka Tabakovic and Miroslav Mircic, President of the Serbian Unity Party Borislav Pelevic, Svilajnac Municipal President Dobrivoje Budimirovic, and author Brana Crncevic who called on citizens to vote for Nikolic. All the speakers wore white scarves embossed with the campaign slogan, “Nikolic: With all your heart for president“. The SRS candidate took the floor alongside Eurovision Song Contest winner Marija Serifovic, who sang her winning song “Prayer“, while a young girl, Sofija Micic, sang “There Far Away“. A message was also read out from party president, Vojislav Seselj, who is currently in the Hague, and who said that Serbia had friends in the world, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “powerful defender and great friend of Serbia.“

Nikolić holds rally in Kragujevac

Underlining that he would never recognize Kosovo independence, and that Serbia would only join the European Union as an integral state, he said that Serbia would not negotiate with the EU if it usurped Kosovo.

“I’ve no intention of deceiving you. In the Serbian Constitution, it says that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, so what have I got to dream up, when you decided it in a referendum,“ said Nikolić, adding that “Kosovo independence might be declared by force,“ and that that was when the battle would begin.

“We won’t go to war. Neither can we, nor will we,“ said the SRS deputy leader, stressing that the nation’s children would not fight abroad in missions in Afghanistan or Iraq, as there was no need for this.

He said that a parliamentary session on Kosovo was due where every politician would say what he planned to do in the event of a declaration of independence, after which voters would decide who to vote for.

“Let Kosovo be the pledge of every Serbian citizen,“ declared Nikolić, adding that the message to those countries that were considering recognizing Kosovo’s independence was: “Keep at arm’s length. You’ve taken our heart.“

The SRS candidate said that he would be a president who would dare to come out before citizens at any time, and that he would not promise what he could not deliver.

“We’ve had elections many times in the past, but this is the key battle, the decisive battle which will take place on January 20, and you will decide on Serbia’s fate,“ he told the SRS faithful in Kragujevac.

Nikolić stressed that he had launched his election campaign deep within Serbia’s heartland, from the Bor mines to show who he was fighting for, and added that he was fighting for the poorest and most endangered, for children who did not have the money for an education, and pensioners who could not afford medical treatment.

“I don’t hate anyone. I’d like to unite Serbia, not divide it,“ said the Radicals’ candidate.

Other speakers at the rally included officials Aleksandar Vučić, Nataša Jovanović, Dragan Todorović, Jorgovanka Tabaković and Miroslav Mirčić, President of the Serbian Unity Party Borislav Pelević, Svilajnac Municipal President Dobrivoje Budimirović, and author Brana Crnčević who called on citizens to vote for Nikolić.

All the speakers wore white scarves embossed with the campaign slogan, “Nikolić: With all your heart for president“.

The SRS candidate took the floor alongside Eurovision Song Contest winner Marija Šerifović, who sang her winning song “Prayer“, while a young girl, Sofija Mićić, sang “There Far Away“.

A message was also read out from party president, Vojislav Šešelj, who is currently in the Hague, and who said that Serbia had friends in the world, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “powerful defender and great friend of Serbia.“