"Snap elections pointless," say analysts

of course, for the "government" that tricked voters and never had a majority.

and for their western masters, that still occupy parts of kosovo and metohija.

but everyone else sees GREAT sense in getting that bunch finally rid off.

Yeah right raso. Is that from the 'lets keep having elections until we get a government I like' book of democracy?

Don't you understand a majority of Serbian voters will never support a SRS led government, you can have however many elections you want.

Wow according to the B92 Serbian democracy is "pointless" my how have the times changed

raso yes it is very hard to understand indeed, explain in clearer English (or Serbian) if necessary. I read it a few times and no joy.

Pro occupation forces? Well SPS are a part of what you call 'occupation forces', they can hardly lift their own occupation can they? And what is the incentive for them exactly? To lose their representation altogether?! I don't think so. Same old SPS, always looking after themselves first!

Let me give you some news that has obviously escaped you. SRS has lost half its support base to SNS. If they could not manage to unseat the current coalition at full strength, what chances of them being able to next time round? Slim at best.
And if Kostunica shouted Kosovo so many times during such a hard period for Serbs of Kosovo and still managed nothing, do you think that additional Serbs will vote for him for his other policies?

BTW I don't know if you were a supporter of Milosevic and SPS JUL policies of the 90's, but this rewriting of history of SPS as if they USED to be good but are now evil is a complete joke.

Frankly, I don't know how you can keep a straight face with that kind of theory. SPS destroyed this country in the 90's. They were cheap opportunists then as they are now.

And no matter what I think of him, Tadic is not finished. The country will keep electing him. In fact there is more chance that DS will decide to abandon him than the country doing so. The only exception is if the right manages find somebody decent to field against him. But the usual line up will be the same old tired names Vucic, Kostunica, Ilic etc.

It all comes back to the same thing - not the capability of the Tadic coalition, but the lack of capability and ability from the right. Nikolic is the only one who has begun to understand this.

Nikola thats a question best posed to the Serbian public.
If opinion polls are to be believed and some of these pollsters have an accurate record, then this government would likely be re-elected.
We know the drill. SNS up a lot, SRS down a lot, DSS stagnating, DS up a little, G17 down a little, SPS struggles for census....
Its my sense that SNS would want to establish themselves as a single party so I don't think they would climb aboard either ship at this stage.

Perhaps the real question is why does the Serbian public feel confident that an SRS/DSS government would do a worse job? Thats the message both parties should be trying to understand and to change their policies accordingly.

Its not good or fair that this government has this lucky position but these are the cards.

So I personally find myself in the silly position of criticising this government quite regularly, but knowing full well that the alternative was much worse...

Lets not jump to conclusions. There are other options besides SRS. I am getting quite tired of the argument that Serbia's choice is either DS or SRS. Both of which parties are in neither of Serbia's interests, in my opinion.

DSS still has the chance to scoop up majority of right wing voters and become a significant threat to both DS and SRS, as it once was.

Free thinker the problem with your idea is that for DSS to be in government it has to support DS or SRS as a senior partner.

DSS has chosen to move rightwards in the hopes of picking up votes from SRS. Of course that was before SNS came about...

Worse still for DSS, despite being in opposition its support is not growing. It is customary in Serbian politics for governments to lose support and the opposition to grow. Opinion polls and election results show this trend.
All evidence suggests that DSS support will remain stagnant until the party is revitalised. That won't happen until the 'king' relinquishes his thrown. However, he will (like in Communist times) probably remain leader until he dies.

Yeah right raso. Is that from the 'lets keep having elections until we get a government I like' book of democracy?

Don't you understand a majority of Serbian voters will never support a SRS led government, you can have however many elections you want.
(bganon, 15 April 2009 19:40)

As opposed to the 'fear mongering the nation into voting for our empty policies' book?

tell me, what has the current government really achieved in office that warrants the populace granting it a lifeline? ...
Where has the social spending, the economic 'modernization', and the fight on corruption gone that was promised? All it has given us is "reforms" by means of creating dependence on foreign institutions!

no bganon, i´m talking just about democracy.

so if sps says it won´t lift the minority of pro-occupation-forces and pseudo-parties (where is this difference in ldp-ds-g17+?) to a majority BEFORE elections, than this should stay true afterwards.

you get the idea? so the majority that never voted for tadic (who should be explained his real job, to be president) gets their wish.

that isn´t that hard to understand, is it?

the good news: sps made themself history & tadic will never ever get so cheap again.

í mean folks that destroy their party and the country for a girraffe and pension-increases that are actually pension-cuts ....

tadic is finished and history, gotov je, no more cheap tricks anymore ...

Bgannon, I actually agree with you that in absence of decent opposition the governemnt of the day can rest easy.
This is especially true in times of crisis. Voters will rarely abandon their government when times are so uncertain on the politcal front.

Unfortunately this all means that the current government can afford to get a bit lazy and not listen to the voters. There is a lot of critisism of the way Tadic is handling a horrible situation in Kosovo but he brushes that aside and continues with less than adequate response or even condemnation of people and institutions responsible.

Personally, I would rather vote for my dog than the government guilty of that. I would take a chance and give the opposition a crack at it. It certainly can't get any worse for the Serbs in Kosovo.
Looks like people are afraid of any change. To make an omelette you must break the egg and not keep it wrapped up in cotton wool. You have to get in their face a little and show them you mean what you say.
Now we have Serbian officials refused entry into a part of their own country and EULEX and UN are supporting it.
Even when the court rules that UDI was illegal I will bet that Tadic will not have the guts to dismantle any of their barriers. I fear that everything this government is doing is for show only.

of course, for the "government" that tricked voters and never had a majority.

and for their western masters, that still occupy parts of kosovo and metohija.

but everyone else sees GREAT sense in getting that bunch finally rid off.

Yeah right raso. Is that from the 'lets keep having elections until we get a government I like' book of democracy?

Don't you understand a majority of Serbian voters will never support a SRS led government, you can have however many elections you want.

Lets not jump to conclusions. There are other options besides SRS. I am getting quite tired of the argument that Serbia's choice is either DS or SRS. Both of which parties are in neither of Serbia's interests, in my opinion.

DSS still has the chance to scoop up majority of right wing voters and become a significant threat to both DS and SRS, as it once was.

Free thinker the problem with your idea is that for DSS to be in government it has to support DS or SRS as a senior partner.

DSS has chosen to move rightwards in the hopes of picking up votes from SRS. Of course that was before SNS came about...

Worse still for DSS, despite being in opposition its support is not growing. It is customary in Serbian politics for governments to lose support and the opposition to grow. Opinion polls and election results show this trend.
All evidence suggests that DSS support will remain stagnant until the party is revitalised. That won't happen until the 'king' relinquishes his thrown. However, he will (like in Communist times) probably remain leader until he dies.

Nikola thats a question best posed to the Serbian public.
If opinion polls are to be believed and some of these pollsters have an accurate record, then this government would likely be re-elected.
We know the drill. SNS up a lot, SRS down a lot, DSS stagnating, DS up a little, G17 down a little, SPS struggles for census....
Its my sense that SNS would want to establish themselves as a single party so I don't think they would climb aboard either ship at this stage.

Perhaps the real question is why does the Serbian public feel confident that an SRS/DSS government would do a worse job? Thats the message both parties should be trying to understand and to change their policies accordingly.

Its not good or fair that this government has this lucky position but these are the cards.

So I personally find myself in the silly position of criticising this government quite regularly, but knowing full well that the alternative was much worse...

Wow according to the B92 Serbian democracy is "pointless" my how have the times changed

Yeah right raso. Is that from the 'lets keep having elections until we get a government I like' book of democracy?

Don't you understand a majority of Serbian voters will never support a SRS led government, you can have however many elections you want.
(bganon, 15 April 2009 19:40)

As opposed to the 'fear mongering the nation into voting for our empty policies' book?

tell me, what has the current government really achieved in office that warrants the populace granting it a lifeline? ...
Where has the social spending, the economic 'modernization', and the fight on corruption gone that was promised? All it has given us is "reforms" by means of creating dependence on foreign institutions!

no bganon, i´m talking just about democracy.

so if sps says it won´t lift the minority of pro-occupation-forces and pseudo-parties (where is this difference in ldp-ds-g17+?) to a majority BEFORE elections, than this should stay true afterwards.

you get the idea? so the majority that never voted for tadic (who should be explained his real job, to be president) gets their wish.

that isn´t that hard to understand, is it?

the good news: sps made themself history & tadic will never ever get so cheap again.

í mean folks that destroy their party and the country for a girraffe and pension-increases that are actually pension-cuts ....

tadic is finished and history, gotov je, no more cheap tricks anymore ...

raso yes it is very hard to understand indeed, explain in clearer English (or Serbian) if necessary. I read it a few times and no joy.

Pro occupation forces? Well SPS are a part of what you call 'occupation forces', they can hardly lift their own occupation can they? And what is the incentive for them exactly? To lose their representation altogether?! I don't think so. Same old SPS, always looking after themselves first!

Let me give you some news that has obviously escaped you. SRS has lost half its support base to SNS. If they could not manage to unseat the current coalition at full strength, what chances of them being able to next time round? Slim at best.
And if Kostunica shouted Kosovo so many times during such a hard period for Serbs of Kosovo and still managed nothing, do you think that additional Serbs will vote for him for his other policies?

BTW I don't know if you were a supporter of Milosevic and SPS JUL policies of the 90's, but this rewriting of history of SPS as if they USED to be good but are now evil is a complete joke.

Frankly, I don't know how you can keep a straight face with that kind of theory. SPS destroyed this country in the 90's. They were cheap opportunists then as they are now.

And no matter what I think of him, Tadic is not finished. The country will keep electing him. In fact there is more chance that DS will decide to abandon him than the country doing so. The only exception is if the right manages find somebody decent to field against him. But the usual line up will be the same old tired names Vucic, Kostunica, Ilic etc.

It all comes back to the same thing - not the capability of the Tadic coalition, but the lack of capability and ability from the right. Nikolic is the only one who has begun to understand this.

Bgannon, I actually agree with you that in absence of decent opposition the governemnt of the day can rest easy.
This is especially true in times of crisis. Voters will rarely abandon their government when times are so uncertain on the politcal front.

Unfortunately this all means that the current government can afford to get a bit lazy and not listen to the voters. There is a lot of critisism of the way Tadic is handling a horrible situation in Kosovo but he brushes that aside and continues with less than adequate response or even condemnation of people and institutions responsible.

Personally, I would rather vote for my dog than the government guilty of that. I would take a chance and give the opposition a crack at it. It certainly can't get any worse for the Serbs in Kosovo.
Looks like people are afraid of any change. To make an omelette you must break the egg and not keep it wrapped up in cotton wool. You have to get in their face a little and show them you mean what you say.
Now we have Serbian officials refused entry into a part of their own country and EULEX and UN are supporting it.
Even when the court rules that UDI was illegal I will bet that Tadic will not have the guts to dismantle any of their barriers. I fear that everything this government is doing is for show only.