Cabinet expected by May, unclear who will join

Cabinet expected by May, unclear who will join

The Socialists (SPS) are seen as "the first partner" in a future cabinet. SPS leader Ivica Dačić said last night that "the new majority" would have 200 to 210 MPs. He was at the SNS headquarters late on Sunday where he and Vučić spoke - though, as Dačić stated, "not about a new government."

"I came to congratulate Aleksandar Vučić on a historic result, and my coalition, too, reached a historic result. The SNS and the SPS are parties from the existing government and will work until a new one is formed," he said.

As far as the Democrats (DS) are concerned, their campaign was partly based on the message that they are "the only ones who surely will not make a post-election coalition with the Progressives." Democratic Party leader Dragan Đilas said after the first results arrived last night that "now the struggle for democracy begins."

"I wish to Serbia that the SNS fulfills its promises made in the campaign, but our belief is that, unfortunately, Serbia with such a majority will not be even close to what has been promised. Time ahead of us will show that, "said Đilas.

Ever since Boris Tadić broke away from the Democrats to form his NDS party, it has been speculated that it was set up with some type of agreement between him and Vučić concerning the country's next government. The former president of Serbia however, once again denied this last night.

"I do not have any agreement with the SNS, if they call us, we'll talk," said Tadić.

The Progressives' possible alliance with national minority lists is not all that simple, either, because it remains to be seen if Sujelman Ugljanin's SDA would join a new government after his clash with Rasim Ljajić during the campaign.

The two ministers and political leaders from the Sandžak region first exchanged serious accusations, after which Ljajić stated that he would "no longer sit in the same room, let alone in the same government" with Ugljanin. Ljajić's party ran in these elections as part of the pre-election coalition put together by the SNS.

As for the Progressives, they did not talk much last night about a new government, but did send a message during the campaign that they want to continue to work, with the widest possible consensus.

Vučić said that the the outcome of the election would not see his party "demean anyone, let alone attempt to humiliate."

"We want to hear their ideas. We are prepared for a kind of dialogue with all relevant parties, but for us the most important partnership is with the citizens of Serbia," Vučić said.

The official results of the parliamentary elections will be announced no later than March 20. After that, the country's new parliament must be constituted within 30 days.