"Young people organized protests - not opposition, or Soros"

"Young people organized protests - not opposition, or Soros"

According to him, protests of citizens dissatisfied with Aleksandar Vucic's election victory represent "a cry of the Serb youth" which, according to him, "does not want to drown in the mud of lies, election theft, corruption and hopelessness."

Pajtic said that Prime Minister and President-elect Vucic, who heads the ruling SNS party, "often manipulates most opposition politicians."

"He has mostly 'trained' the media, but the people are an unknown to him. And that's why he is afraid," said Pajtic, a professor at the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad who in the past served as head of the provincial government of Vojvodina.

According to him, those who are protesting are "free people, whom nobody is transporting to the rallies - they show up of their own accord."

"The young people have not been instructed by anyone - not by any (George) Soros, (Sasa) Jankovic, nor by me," he added.

When asked why it took the protesters eight days to harmonize their demands, Pajtic replied that "precisely the initial anarchy speaks to these young people not being instructed or gathered together by anyone."

"The young have listened to Stephane Hessel's cry aimed at their generation - 'rebel!'. And they have rebelled. Don't underestimate the street. Anyone who has watched live broadcasts from the Assembly for at least five minutes is aware that the street is a place of good manners and an oasis of wisdom compared to the Serbian parliament," he said.

By remaining in the Assembly, the opposition is lending legitimacy to "the ruling regime of Aleksandar Vucic" and is providing an alibi to "politicians from the EU, the US, and other countries."

"They know that Serbia lives under a dictatorship, but, if the opposition sits in parliament - that means, parliamentarianism exists, dialogue exists, legitimacy exists, there are checks and a separation of powers," Pajtic said.

Asked whether he would form a club with Sasa Jankovic - who placed second in the presidential elections - in Vojvodina's provincial Assembly, Pajtic replied by saying that Jankovic "emerged as someone who has the mandate and an obligation to lead the opposition - a different one, with a greater potential than what it has today."