PM spars with opposition as Assembly considers budget bill

PM spars with opposition as Assembly considers budget bill

Otherwise, the beginning of today's debate on the state budget bill was marked by an exchange between Vucic, who is the leader of the ruling SNS party, and Bosko Obradovic from the opposition Dveri Movement.

Obradovic first criticized the proposed budget, saying it was "bad, as is everything the SNS is doing - a big deception and a violation of all their election campaign promises."

The IMF is certainly pleased with the budget, this deputy continued, and then asked Vucic, "who do you work for - for the interest of the World Bank, the IMF, the EU, or NATO?"

"You are the last euro-fanatic in Europe," Obradovic told Vucic, and accused the prime minster of avoiding to provide answers to questions posed by deputies, but adding he was "unable to escape today."

"What is EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn saying - who will be Serbia's next president?," Obradovic asked Vucic.

"You have announced early (parliamentary) elections here, you have launched an election campaign with the goal of removing Dveri from the Assembly," Obradovic charged, and described Serbia as "the only country in the world" where members of the police and the army are "on strike."

This deputy also "apologized" to Vucic for addressing him speaking Serbian with the accent common in the central town of Cacak - and remarking, "you obviously prefer German."

"Perhaps the reason you mind (the accent) is precisely that all the rebellions and the uprisings start in that region," said Obradovic.

Responding to this, Vucic said that he had "no intention of offending people from Cacak" when he on Monday "imitated" the way Obradovic pronounced the phrase, "where are you running to."

The prime minister said that "the story about this" had been "fabricated overnight" - as his criticism "had nothing to do with the Cacak accent but with the bullying behavior of Obradovic" - referring to a post-election accident at the Electoral Commission, when the Dveri leader used the same phrase addressing a woman, "and hitting her on the shoulder."

According to Vucic, both deputies and citizens have for days been witnessing "most brutal" attacks against his cabinet and himself personally.

"The entire policy of certain individuals have come down to the most heinous lies and absurdities," Vucic said.

He also accused Obradovic of having "two minions of (businessman Miroslav) Miskovic on his list" while the movement's "Serbdom" was "completely based on criticizing the government and presenting their opinions in (the weekly) Vreme."

Speaking about NATO, Vucic said he recently "went to NATO (HQ in Brussels) and said it directly to everyone's face that Serbia has no interest in NATO membership."

"What is this you're making up?," Vucic asked Obradovic, in the context of the accusation that he was moving the country closer to NATO.

"You speak about my friends, you mention Matteo Renzi and Boyko Borisov," Vucic continued, stressing that the outgoing prime ministers of Italy and Bulgaria "indeed are his friends - and that has nothing to do with whether they're in power."

The Serbian prime minister also pledged to stand with German Chancellor Angela Merkel "always - regardless of her position."

"We need to have a discussion about whether we can reach certain agreements on how Serbia and its institutions should function," Vucic said, adding that he was ready to discuss this ahead of the upcoming elections.

"Presidential elections - and we will see if there will also be parliamentary elections. You will have full opportunity to discuss anything," he said.