Budget adopted in nick of time

Parliament adopted the 2009 budget just an hour and a half before expiry of the legally defined time frame. 129 members of the ruling coalition voted in favor of the proposal, while 21 Democratic Party of Serbia MPs voted against. Serb Radical Party (SRS) and Serb Progressive Party MPs did not attend the vote. Budget adopted in nick of time The budget was adopted an hour and a half before the expiry of the legally prescribed deadline, which was at midnight. A vote was enabled after opposition MPs ended their debate on amendments and withdrew amendments. After Radical and New Serbia MPs withdrew their amendments, Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic read through the remaining amendments that had been accepted, rejected or withdrawn at remarkable speed, with no one asking to take the floor. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic said that she was pleased that next year’s budget had been adopted on time and that MPs had understood that the budget was a better solution than temporary financing. “In my closing statement, I tried to say that, no, there wasn’t much time left, but that we weren’t the only ones in a situation where a parliament adopted the budget in the space of five hours, like, for example, Croatia,“ said Dragutinovic. “I think everyone cottoned on to the fact that the budget was better, regardless of whether some people liked it or not, as spending is controlled by parliament, whereas temporary financing is entirely in the hands of the government. So, from the very start, I had a feeling that it would end this way,“ she said. The minister said that 241 amendments had been submitted to the budget, of which the government had formally adopted 20, but, in essence, 40. It is interesting that after the budget debate Dragutinovic told MPs from the speaker’s podium that she was not a magician, and that she could not draw up a budget that would be to everyone’s liking. “After seven days listening to discussions in parliament, I wanted to quote them something from Harry Potter: ’Harry, you’re a magician,’“ the minister said. “I’m not a magician and I wasn’t in a position to make a budget to suit everyone,“ she explained. Throughout the day, right up until 21:00 CET, SRS MPs meticulously outlined numerous amendments, but after a lengthy meeting of the speaker and party whips the debate was brought to an end. Diana Dragutinovic (Tanjug, archive)

Budget adopted in nick of time

The budget was adopted an hour and a half before the expiry of the legally prescribed deadline, which was at midnight.

A vote was enabled after opposition MPs ended their debate on amendments and withdrew amendments.

After Radical and New Serbia MPs withdrew their amendments, Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović read through the remaining amendments that had been accepted, rejected or withdrawn at remarkable speed, with no one asking to take the floor.

Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović said that she was pleased that next year’s budget had been adopted on time and that MPs had understood that the budget was a better solution than temporary financing.

“In my closing statement, I tried to say that, no, there wasn’t much time left, but that we weren’t the only ones in a situation where a parliament adopted the budget in the space of five hours, like, for example, Croatia,“ said Dragutinović.

“I think everyone cottoned on to the fact that the budget was better, regardless of whether some people liked it or not, as spending is controlled by parliament, whereas temporary financing is entirely in the hands of the government. So, from the very start, I had a feeling that it would end this way,“ she said.

The minister said that 241 amendments had been submitted to the budget, of which the government had formally adopted 20, but, in essence, 40.

It is interesting that after the budget debate Dragutinović told MPs from the speaker’s podium that she was not a magician, and that she could not draw up a budget that would be to everyone’s liking.

“After seven days listening to discussions in parliament, I wanted to quote them something from Harry Potter: ’Harry, you’re a magician,’“ the minister said.

“I’m not a magician and I wasn’t in a position to make a budget to suit everyone,“ she explained.

Throughout the day, right up until 21:00 CET, SRS MPs meticulously outlined numerous amendments, but after a lengthy meeting of the speaker and party whips the debate was brought to an end.