No success in bid to form municipal assembly

Today's constitutive session of Belgrade's Vozdovac municipality assembly saw councilors' mandates verified, but could not proceed past that point. After the early local elections held there almost two months ago, parties that won most votes did not manage to agree on a power sharing deal. No success in bid to form municipal assembly The session today broke up as first the Serb Radicals (SRS), and then Serb Progressives (SNS) left the hall. Soon, councilors from the ranks of the DSS and NS followed suit, leaving those present without a quorum. The deadline to choose new municipal leadership in Vozdovac expires on Friday; parties will have their last opportunity to strike a deal as the assembly meets again on Wednesday. Citizens crowded the assembly's audience section, outnumbering councilors and reporters put together, as the Democrats (DS) remained one vote short in their bid to form the local administration. They today resorted to once again calling on the DSS-NS coalition to cooperate with them. "This is an escape from election results and the will of the citizens. We called on them previously, and we once again call on the DSS-NS coalition to support an assembly majority so that we can constitute the authority by Friday," said DS councilor group chief Branko Arsenijevic. But DSS-NS said that none of their assembly members would join other parties. However, they did not rule out possible cooperation with the DS. "We did not receive any invitation to create an assembly majority, except the deal we have with the SNS, and except for hearing absurd statements in the media where calls were directed at some councilors only, which is unheard of while forming a majority," Dragan Covic of the DSS reacted. Ahead of the session, the Democrats stated that they believed a majority coalition would be formed today, while the SNS, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) coalition said that the most probable outcome would be new elections. Arsenijevic told Beta news agency that the party had not received an official statement from the DSS regarding it offer to give support to the 28 councilors gathered around DS, but he said that he was still convinced that a majority would be formed. He said that he expected that someone from the DSS would “individually” support the Democrast, the coalition built around the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Rasim Ljajic’s List for Tolerance, and in that way ensure the formation of the local government. New Serbia Vice-President Dubrovka Filipovski said that all councilors of the DSS and NS would leave the meeting as soon as all mandates had been verified, showing that they were on the same page. Filipovski denied the possibility of someone from the DSS-NS coalition supporting the DS councilors, calling on the Democrats to accept their loss in the elections and the fact that they cannot form a majority, and at the same time to allow the Socialist to decide whether they wanted to form a coalition with SNS-DSS-NS. She said that the government in Vozdovac could be formed by SNS, DSS-NS and SPS, which would total 31 of the total 56 municipal mandates, but that the DS “wants to stay in power at all costs”. SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vucic said that his party did not conduct any additional talks with the SPS and that the coalition gathered around them said they would be trying to form a majority with the DS. “I do not know how they think they are going to form a [local] government with the DS, and that is why elections are the most realistic solution. We'll see what happens,” Vucic said. If the local assembly fails to elect its speaker and municipal secretary by August 14, a temporary administration will be announced, with new elections scheduled.

No success in bid to form municipal assembly

The session today broke up as first the Serb Radicals (SRS), and then Serb Progressives (SNS) left the hall.

Soon, councilors from the ranks of the DSS and NS followed suit, leaving those present without a quorum.

The deadline to choose new municipal leadership in Voždovac expires on Friday; parties will have their last opportunity to strike a deal as the assembly meets again on Wednesday.

Citizens crowded the assembly's audience section, outnumbering councilors and reporters put together, as the Democrats (DS) remained one vote short in their bid to form the local administration. They today resorted to once again calling on the DSS-NS coalition to cooperate with them.

"This is an escape from election results and the will of the citizens. We called on them previously, and we once again call on the DSS-NS coalition to support an assembly majority so that we can constitute the authority by Friday," said DS councilor group chief Branko Arsenijević.

But DSS-NS said that none of their assembly members would join other parties. However, they did not rule out possible cooperation with the DS.

"We did not receive any invitation to create an assembly majority, except the deal we have with the SNS, and except for hearing absurd statements in the media where calls were directed at some councilors only, which is unheard of while forming a majority," Dragan Čović of the DSS reacted.

Ahead of the session, the Democrats stated that they believed a majority coalition would be formed today, while the SNS, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) coalition said that the most probable outcome would be new elections.

Arsenijević told Beta news agency that the party had not received an official statement from the DSS regarding it offer to give support to the 28 councilors gathered around DS, but he said that he was still convinced that a majority would be formed.

He said that he expected that someone from the DSS would “individually” support the Democrast, the coalition built around the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Rasim Ljajić’s List for Tolerance, and in that way ensure the formation of the local government.

New Serbia Vice-President Dubrovka Filipovski said that all councilors of the DSS and NS would leave the meeting as soon as all mandates had been verified, showing that they were on the same page.

Filipovski denied the possibility of someone from the DSS-NS coalition supporting the DS councilors, calling on the Democrats to accept their loss in the elections and the fact that they cannot form a majority, and at the same time to allow the Socialist to decide whether they wanted to form a coalition with SNS-DSS-NS.

She said that the government in Voždovac could be formed by SNS, DSS-NS and SPS, which would total 31 of the total 56 municipal mandates, but that the DS “wants to stay in power at all costs”.

SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić said that his party did not conduct any additional talks with the SPS and that the coalition gathered around them said they would be trying to form a majority with the DS.

“I do not know how they think they are going to form a [local] government with the DS, and that is why elections are the most realistic solution. We'll see what happens,” Vučić said.

If the local assembly fails to elect its speaker and municipal secretary by August 14, a temporary administration will be announced, with new elections scheduled.