No elections in 2009, insists speaker

Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, SPS, believes there will be no elections this year, and speaks out against a cabinet reshuffle. "It is not likely that there are politicians that would insist on elections, since Serbia's stability is the number one task," she told Beta news agency in an interview on Saturday. No elections in 2009, insists speaker But, Djukic-Dejanovic added, there could be new elections in 2010, "if there are conditions for this and if there is appraisal that the political mood of the citizens has changed significantly, with their will and trust for some other combinations growing". Serbia's current ruling coalition was set up last summer after the May parliamentary ballot, and is made up of more than a dozen parties organized in several pre-election coalitions. The speaker, who is deputy leader of the ruling Socialists (SPS), believes "the financial situation" should be taken into account, as well as that the results of any new elections "would likely be very similar" to the May 2008 polls. She also opposes any reconstruction of the current cabinet, headed by PM Mirko Cvetkovic of the Democrats (DS). This stance, she explained, comes "primarily because the parliamentary majority has sent out messages that the government is stable and willing grapple with its problems and solve them, along with the citizens of Serbia, and even with the opposition." However, the speaker added that "anything is possible in politics". Speaking about the opposition, Djukic-Dejanovic singled out the Liberal-Democrats (LDP) for their constructive approach, a party which, according to her, sees the work on EU integrations legislation "as a necessity to always participate actively and if need be, provide a quorum for those bills to be passed". She also said she believes that the SPS grassroots are "now convinced" that the party leadership acted "courageously and wisely" when it chose to join the Democrats-led coalition in the cabinet. According to Djukic-Dejanovic, the split in the opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) "revealed the heart of the problem" that prompted the Socialists to reject a coalition with the DSS-NS and SRS, "since that government would not have lasted long". "Had the People's Coalition [DSS-NS] wanted to form a government with the Radicals, they could have done so without the May elections. They had a majority in the previous parliament. They clearly could not and did not want to," she concluded.

No elections in 2009, insists speaker

But, Đukić-Dejanović added, there could be new elections in 2010, "if there are conditions for this and if there is appraisal that the political mood of the citizens has changed significantly, with their will and trust for some other combinations growing".

Serbia's current ruling coalition was set up last summer after the May parliamentary ballot, and is made up of more than a dozen parties organized in several pre-election coalitions.

The speaker, who is deputy leader of the ruling Socialists (SPS), believes "the financial situation" should be taken into account, as well as that the results of any new elections "would likely be very similar" to the May 2008 polls.

She also opposes any reconstruction of the current cabinet, headed by PM Mirko Cvetković of the Democrats (DS).

This stance, she explained, comes "primarily because the parliamentary majority has sent out messages that the government is stable and willing grapple with its problems and solve them, along with the citizens of Serbia, and even with the opposition."

However, the speaker added that "anything is possible in politics".

Speaking about the opposition, Đukić-Dejanović singled out the Liberal-Democrats (LDP) for their constructive approach, a party which, according to her, sees the work on EU integrations legislation "as a necessity to always participate actively and if need be, provide a quorum for those bills to be passed".

She also said she believes that the SPS grassroots are "now convinced" that the party leadership acted "courageously and wisely" when it chose to join the Democrats-led coalition in the cabinet.

According to Đukić-Dejanović, the split in the opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) "revealed the heart of the problem" that prompted the Socialists to reject a coalition with the DSS-NS and SRS, "since that government would not have lasted long".

"Had the People's Coalition [DSS-NS] wanted to form a government with the Radicals, they could have done so without the May elections. They had a majority in the previous parliament. They clearly could not and did not want to," she concluded.