SNS leader convinced of election victory

"If someone fell asleep on October 5 (2000), and woke up today, would they notice that something had happened?"

Nikolić added that there was "no progress" in the country - apart from "one bridge that comes from nowhere and leads nowhere, but cost so much money that it could have provided 100,000 peasants with EUR 5,000 loans, which they would repay once life has returned to villages, which are now a wasteland".

Funny. It seems like it's Nikolic who didn't open his eyes during the last decade if he's unable to see changes that happened in Serbia since then.

Just an other politician speaking the same as any other politician namely saying the words he thinks the people want to hear.
Nikolic is playing the populist. His motives may be sincere but by suggesting to give a 100.000 farmers 5000 Euro loans (which buys them at best a couple of cows and some fertilizer) and for them to pay back that money whenever they are ready will buy him a few votes but will hardly do anything to bring lasting prosperity to the millions of people who are currently unemployed.
Building bridges, roads and railways will modernize Serbia's infrastructure, which in turn will attract investments needed to bring growth and hence provide the unemployed with jobs.
On the issue of Kosovo there needs to be a solution found which is in the interest of Serbia as well as in the interest of the people living there. Tadic never mentioned that he will abandon Kosovo. He is looking for solutions which will serve the interests of all involved and simultaneously trying to avoid any conflicts (think Chechnya, Basque country, Kurds etc.)that will inevitably flare up if Serbia does not compromise, which Nikolic has suggested he will not do.
The only solution for Kosovo can be found within a framework of compromise and this takes time as well as the involvement of the international community, especially the EU.
As for corruption. Yes Serbia is still ranked embarrassingly high among the most corrupt countries but at least something is being done about it and is now less corrupt since the time Tadic became president. According to the rankings listed by 'Transparancy International' Serbia takes 86th place, (1st place being the least corrupt and the 182nd place the most corrupt) together with Bulgaria (an EU member)with a score of 3.3 today as supposed to 2.3 in 2004. Russia, to whom Nikolic is looking towards for support, is currently ranked 143rd with a miserable score of 2.4 which is where Serbia was 8 years ago!
Nikolic might for now play the populist and thinks that he can talk the talk but I doubt very much, if he ever gets elected, that he will be able to walk the walk and deliver the kind of solutions which will change people's lives for the better.

Noone can trust you Nikolic. Unfortunately what viable options do we have?

"If someone fell asleep on October 5 (2000), and woke up today, would they notice that something had happened?"

Nikolić added that there was "no progress" in the country - apart from "one bridge that comes from nowhere and leads nowhere, but cost so much money that it could have provided 100,000 peasants with EUR 5,000 loans, which they would repay once life has returned to villages, which are now a wasteland".

Funny. It seems like it's Nikolic who didn't open his eyes during the last decade if he's unable to see changes that happened in Serbia since then.

Just an other politician speaking the same as any other politician namely saying the words he thinks the people want to hear.
Nikolic is playing the populist. His motives may be sincere but by suggesting to give a 100.000 farmers 5000 Euro loans (which buys them at best a couple of cows and some fertilizer) and for them to pay back that money whenever they are ready will buy him a few votes but will hardly do anything to bring lasting prosperity to the millions of people who are currently unemployed.
Building bridges, roads and railways will modernize Serbia's infrastructure, which in turn will attract investments needed to bring growth and hence provide the unemployed with jobs.
On the issue of Kosovo there needs to be a solution found which is in the interest of Serbia as well as in the interest of the people living there. Tadic never mentioned that he will abandon Kosovo. He is looking for solutions which will serve the interests of all involved and simultaneously trying to avoid any conflicts (think Chechnya, Basque country, Kurds etc.)that will inevitably flare up if Serbia does not compromise, which Nikolic has suggested he will not do.
The only solution for Kosovo can be found within a framework of compromise and this takes time as well as the involvement of the international community, especially the EU.
As for corruption. Yes Serbia is still ranked embarrassingly high among the most corrupt countries but at least something is being done about it and is now less corrupt since the time Tadic became president. According to the rankings listed by 'Transparancy International' Serbia takes 86th place, (1st place being the least corrupt and the 182nd place the most corrupt) together with Bulgaria (an EU member)with a score of 3.3 today as supposed to 2.3 in 2004. Russia, to whom Nikolic is looking towards for support, is currently ranked 143rd with a miserable score of 2.4 which is where Serbia was 8 years ago!
Nikolic might for now play the populist and thinks that he can talk the talk but I doubt very much, if he ever gets elected, that he will be able to walk the walk and deliver the kind of solutions which will change people's lives for the better.

Noone can trust you Nikolic. Unfortunately what viable options do we have?