Ljajić rules out cooperation with Koštunica

“We expect to gain over 100 seats and become the center of a new pro-European govt.,” says Rasim Ljajic, whose party is on the Democratic Party (DS) list. Asked in an interview for daily Vecernje Novosti if he could imagine himself in a government led by Vojislav Kostunica, Ljajic replied: “I don’t see even a theoretical chance of Kostunica becoming prime minister in a government with the DS at its heart. On the contrary, the DS would practically be shooting itself in the foot.” Ljajic rules out cooperation with Kostunica His Sandzak Democratic Party (SDP) will stand at the coming elections on the DS list. Asked if he saw the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) as an ally or if their paths had definitively diverged after March 10, he said that “as things stand right now, it will be hard to come to that combination.” “If there was any hope lingering that it could happen again, the election campaign has proved that the DSS has turned to new coalition partners,” said Ljajic. “The messages that they, the Radicals and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) send are identical, so a new majority could be found in that triangle,” he predicted. “It is a fact that we are the main target of the DSS’s attacks. That doesn’t just prove that they don’t want a coalition with us, but also that they are openly offering themselves to the Radicals,” thinks Ljajic. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they had already reached the agreement they have been talking about, and not only at Belgrade level,” the SDP leader concluded. He “doesn’t expect President Tadic to announce the coalition’s nominee for prime minister before the elections. There are several candidates and it might even be someone from outwith the party,” said Ljajic. Meanwhile, League of Social Democrats (LSV) leader Nenad Canak is convinced that Boris Tadic will no longer cooperate with Kostunica because “the natural coalition is between DSS and the Radicals.” Canak, whose party is on the DS list, told Radio B92’s Kaziprst program that he had nothing against anyone interested in forming a potential government with the DS, as long as no “story about political capital” was made on the matter. Asked whether he would find it acceptable for a government formed by the DS to be supported by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), he replied that “the question is whether it supports the government and the government’s decisions.” He added that that was a big difference, “because until now, we have also had a situation were opposition parties have voted for certain government proposals.” The LSV leader said that the EU was the only road Serbia had, and that Serbia needed the EU agreement for its citizens, and not because of the elections. Rasim Ljajic (FoNet, archive)

Ljajić rules out cooperation with Koštunica

His Sandžak Democratic Party (SDP) will stand at the coming elections on the DS list.

Asked if he saw the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) as an ally or if their paths had definitively diverged after March 10, he said that “as things stand right now, it will be hard to come to that combination.”

“If there was any hope lingering that it could happen again, the election campaign has proved that the DSS has turned to new coalition partners,” said Ljajić.

“The messages that they, the Radicals and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) send are identical, so a new majority could be found in that triangle,” he predicted.

“It is a fact that we are the main target of the DSS’s attacks. That doesn’t just prove that they don’t want a coalition with us, but also that they are openly offering themselves to the Radicals,” thinks Ljajić.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they had already reached the agreement they have been talking about, and not only at Belgrade level,” the SDP leader concluded.

He “doesn’t expect President Tadić to announce the coalition’s nominee for prime minister before the elections. There are several candidates and it might even be someone from outwith the party,” said Ljajić.

Meanwhile, League of Social Democrats (LSV) leader Nenad Čanak is convinced that Boris Tadić will no longer cooperate with Koštunica because “the natural coalition is between DSS and the Radicals.”

Čanak, whose party is on the DS list, told Radio B92’s Kažiprst program that he had nothing against anyone interested in forming a potential government with the DS, as long as no “story about political capital” was made on the matter. Asked whether he would find it acceptable for a government formed by the DS to be supported by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), he replied that “the question is whether it supports the government and the government’s decisions.”

He added that that was a big difference, “because until now, we have also had a situation were opposition parties have voted for certain government proposals.” The LSV leader said that the EU was the only road Serbia had, and that Serbia needed the EU agreement for its citizens, and not because of the elections.