SPS official says he "could topple PM"; PM "won't comment"

SPS official says he "could topple PM"; PM "won't comment"

Declining to comment on a statement made by one of his deputy presidents, Marija Obradovic - who said the SNS party should rethink its relationships with its coalition partners - SNS leader Vucic said he was visiting the EMS in his role of Serbia's prime minister - "while political matters and relationships should be discussed by party bodies."

"We will see if there is a parliamentary majority, if the SNS or other parties support that majority or not, or there is some other majority," Vucic concluded.

The Serbian government is "functional" and it has a majority, but we will see if it will have it in a month or two - or if there will be some other majority, Vucic said.

He declined to comment on the latest statements by SPS official Branko Ruzic, who told a Belgrade tabloid he "could have toppled the government during the past five years if he wanted to."

The Socialists (SPS), led by First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, are coalition partners in the current Serbian government led by Vucic's SNS.

In this context, Vucic remarked only that "everyone likes to act like national heroes," saying, "no, and I'm not interested to" - when asked to comment on Ruzic's statement.

Earlier, high ranking SNS official Marija Obradovic said that the party's top organs would "soon discuss the stance of the SPS toward the SNS, and toward the state of Serbia."

She went on to describe Ruzic - who has in the past locked horns with Vucic - as "a semi-literate pickpocket who, fortunately for all Serbian citizens, will never be in a position to arrange the Serbian society."

All this was preceded by Ruzic's interview for the Belgrade-based daily Kurir, published under the headline, "If I wanted to, I could topple Vucic."

According to the tabloid, Ruzic at one point "asked sarcastically" if he ever in the past said anything against the authorities, and, "why everyone thinks he's out to topple the prime minister."

"If I wanted to topple Vucic, in all likelihood I would have already done it during these five years," Ruzic said.