Government could have 28 ministries

B92 understands that the new government will have 28 ministries, and that the front runner for prime minister is Democratic Party (DS) Vice-President Bojan Pajtic. According to unofficial reports from B92's sources, Pajtic is the favored option of the DS leadership. Government could have 28 ministries B92 understands that the working version of the Law on Ministries has virtually been agreed on, and that the government will be made up of a prime minister, most probably four deputy prime ministers, and 28 ministers. The DS will provide the prime minister and 14 ministers, one of whom will also be a deputy prime minister. G17 Plus will have six ministries and one deputy prime minister. The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) will have four ministers, one of whom will be a deputy prime minister. The Associated Pensioners’ Party will also receive a deputy prime ministerial post, while there will be one ministry each for Rasim Ljajic’s Sandzak Democratic Party, Sulejman Ugljanin’s SDA, Vuk Draskovic’s Serbian Renewal Movement, and Istvan Pastor’s Hungarian Coalition. B92’s sources say that the deputy prime ministers will be Mladjan Dinkic, Bozidar Djelic, Jovan Krkobabic and Ivica Dacic, and add that the Law on the Government will be brought before MPs on Monday probably. The new government is likely to include new ministries for spatial planning and construction, human and minority rights, the National Investment Plan, while the Kosovo Ministry will be retained, states the working version of the Law on Ministries. Bojan Pajtic (Beta, archive) DS Vice-President Pajtic says that the new government should be formed by next Wednesday, the end of next week at the latest, and that he would not decline the post of prime minister, if offered. The head of the Vojvodina Executive Council, who, along with Vuk Jeremic and Mirko Cvetkovic is in the running for the post of prime minister, told B92 that the DS leader Boris Tadic would be proposing the party’s nominee in the “coming days.“ He confirmed that he had received the support of the DS’s senior presidency at the party’s main board, which he himself did not attend, though he stressed that no binding decisions had been taken. Pajtic said that he would not turn down the post of prime minister, but that he would prefer to remain in Vojvodina. “On Thursday, we’re choosing vice-presidents, and next Wednesday we’re expecting a government to be formed,“ the DS official explained. He expects the coalition that will form the government at republic level to be replicated at local level, claiming that this was the main reason that the Vojvodina Assembly’s constitutive session had been moved to July 16. “We need to wait for an agreement at republic level, as well as to see who is going to have a majority at Belgrade level, as that is all important for Serbia’s future,“ said Pajtic. Meanwhile, G17 Plus leader Mladjan Dinkic has said that a coalition agreement between the parties intending to form the new government is due to be signed today. "The agreement will provide the conditions for the completion of the draft law on ministries to be brought before parliament for adoption," Dinkic told B92. He said that a government could be formed by the middle of next week, depending on the parliamentary debate on the aforesaid law. The G17 Plus leader said that Tadic should make his decision for prime minister public today, as this was essential for a government to be formed. Dinkic added that in his opinion, the top job should go to Pajtic, because, as head of the Vojvodina Executive Council, he already had experience of running a government, and moreover, had an impressive record in the job. Commenting on the division of departments in the future government, he said that the government should be smaller than was being touted, but that this was up to the DS, as the biggest coalition partner. “If the government fails to achieve good results, we’ll have a problem, both as members of the coalition and as citizens,“ said the G17 Plus leader, adding that it was important for "homogenousness" to be achieved between those making up the government. Dinkic did not want to comment on the ministries that had been allotted to the SPS, including the Interior Ministry, though he said that he had received assurances from the DS that they would be heading the key departments within the police and security agencies.

Government could have 28 ministries

B92 understands that the working version of the Law on Ministries has virtually been agreed on, and that the government will be made up of a prime minister, most probably four deputy prime ministers, and 28 ministers.

The DS will provide the prime minister and 14 ministers, one of whom will also be a deputy prime minister. G17 Plus will have six ministries and one deputy prime minister.

The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) will have four ministers, one of whom will be a deputy prime minister. The Associated Pensioners’ Party will also receive a deputy prime ministerial post, while there will be one ministry each for Rasim Ljajić’s Sandžak Democratic Party, Sulejman Ugljanin’s SDA, Vuk Drašković’s Serbian Renewal Movement, and Ištvan Pastor’s Hungarian Coalition.

B92’s sources say that the deputy prime ministers will be Mlađan Dinkić, Božidar Đelić, Jovan Krkobabić and Ivica Dačić, and add that the Law on the Government will be brought before MPs on Monday probably.

The new government is likely to include new ministries for spatial planning and construction, human and minority rights, the National Investment Plan, while the Kosovo Ministry will be retained, states the working version of the Law on Ministries. DS Vice-President Pajtić says that the new government should be formed by next Wednesday, the end of next week at the latest, and that he would not decline the post of prime minister, if offered.

The head of the Vojvodina Executive Council, who, along with Vuk Jeremić and Mirko Cvetković is in the running for the post of prime minister, told B92 that the DS leader Boris Tadić would be proposing the party’s nominee in the “coming days.“

He confirmed that he had received the support of the DS’s senior presidency at the party’s main board, which he himself did not attend, though he stressed that no binding decisions had been taken.

Pajtić said that he would not turn down the post of prime minister, but that he would prefer to remain in Vojvodina.

“On Thursday, we’re choosing vice-presidents, and next Wednesday we’re expecting a government to be formed,“ the DS official explained.

He expects the coalition that will form the government at republic level to be replicated at local level, claiming that this was the main reason that the Vojvodina Assembly’s constitutive session had been moved to July 16.

“We need to wait for an agreement at republic level, as well as to see who is going to have a majority at Belgrade level, as that is all important for Serbia’s future,“ said Pajtić.

Meanwhile, G17 Plus leader Mlađan Dinkić has said that a coalition agreement between the parties intending to form the new government is due to be signed today.

"The agreement will provide the conditions for the completion of the draft law on ministries to be brought before parliament for adoption," Dinkić told B92.

He said that a government could be formed by the middle of next week, depending on the parliamentary debate on the aforesaid law.

The G17 Plus leader said that Tadić should make his decision for prime minister public today, as this was essential for a government to be formed.

Dinkić added that in his opinion, the top job should go to Pajtić, because, as head of the Vojvodina Executive Council, he already had experience of running a government, and moreover, had an impressive record in the job.

Commenting on the division of departments in the future government, he said that the government should be smaller than was being touted, but that this was up to the DS, as the biggest coalition partner.

“If the government fails to achieve good results, we’ll have a problem, both as members of the coalition and as citizens,“ said the G17 Plus leader, adding that it was important for "homogenousness" to be achieved between those making up the government.

Dinkić did not want to comment on the ministries that had been allotted to the SPS, including the Interior Ministry, though he said that he had received assurances from the DS that they would be heading the key departments within the police and security agencies.