President rules out new elections

President Boris Tadic says that new elections would be the worst possible solution for the country. Tadic said that it was not time for campaigning, because elections were expensive, not only in terms of organization, but because a country’s economy was different during a campaign. President rules out new elections “We have entered a period of international economic crisis, which is hitting Serbia and will hit the country even harder and we will have to make cutbacks,” the president told state broadcaster RTS, stating that elections now would be the height of irresponsibility and would have catastrophic consequences for the future of the country. Speaking of intra-government feuds, Tadic said that reconstruction of the government and elections were both worse solutions than the status quo. “It is time to leave behind a politics where Serbia is divided into two camps, and address vital questions—the economic crisis, tackling inflation and the Kosovo question,” he said. Commenting on Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic’s statement that he had never felt worse as part of a government, Tadic said that now was not the time for everyone to be saying how they felt, because the people were not interested in that. “We were elected to do a job on their behalf and it would be unwise to create a platform to shirk that responsibility,” Tadic said, adding that Dinkic had an excellent track record and that he expected him to continue to be successful in this government. Asked whether he would accept a Serbia with him as president and Serb Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolic—according to Tadic, his most serious political rival—as prime minister, Tadic said that it would not be good for Serbia and that he was “tired of cohabitation.” The president said that the government’s program of economic measures for weathering the crisis was the best possible, but that international financial support was also very important for maintaining the economic system. He said that in the coming days, he and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic would be holding a political conference for government officials and top Serbian businessmen and economists, with the goal of passing measures of national importance. The president said that while the 2009 budget was not the best possible one, it was the only realistic one. “There is nothing easier that increasing wages and pensions, but that will lead us to hyperinflation,” Tadic cautioned, adding that the government would spend all of 2009 maintaining its capacities. He said that neither jobs nor administrative positions would not be protected in unprofitable companies, adding that there could be no investment in production that had no market. Commenting on speculation that his cabinet was too involved in the work of the government and undermining its authority, Tadic said that his “cabinet does not have any influence on the work of the government.” “It could in theory be said that I have influence on the work of the government as the leader of the largest party in parliament, but that is not the case either,” the president said. Speaking about combating corruption, Tadic said that the conditions had been created in Serbia where no one was safe and that this would be proven in the coming months. “We can never stop looking for corruption in the system” the president said, adding that this was not an warning, but his heartfelt opinion. He said that Serbia had no alternative strategic solution to EU integration, but that this would not affect relations between Serbia and Russia. “We cannot give up on the EU, because without Serbia, which is the most important country in the region strategically, there is no stability,” Tadic said. Boris Tadic (FoNet archive)

President rules out new elections

“We have entered a period of international economic crisis, which is hitting Serbia and will hit the country even harder and we will have to make cutbacks,” the president told state broadcaster RTS, stating that elections now would be the height of irresponsibility and would have catastrophic consequences for the future of the country.

Speaking of intra-government feuds, Tadić said that reconstruction of the government and elections were both worse solutions than the status quo.

“It is time to leave behind a politics where Serbia is divided into two camps, and address vital questions—the economic crisis, tackling inflation and the Kosovo question,” he said.

Commenting on Economy Minister Mlađan Dinkić’s statement that he had never felt worse as part of a government, Tadić said that now was not the time for everyone to be saying how they felt, because the people were not interested in that.

“We were elected to do a job on their behalf and it would be unwise to create a platform to shirk that responsibility,” Tadić said, adding that Dinkić had an excellent track record and that he expected him to continue to be successful in this government.

Asked whether he would accept a Serbia with him as president and Serb Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolić—according to Tadić, his most serious political rival—as prime minister, Tadić said that it would not be good for Serbia and that he was “tired of cohabitation.”

The president said that the government’s program of economic measures for weathering the crisis was the best possible, but that international financial support was also very important for maintaining the economic system.

He said that in the coming days, he and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković would be holding a political conference for government officials and top Serbian businessmen and economists, with the goal of passing measures of national importance.

The president said that while the 2009 budget was not the best possible one, it was the only realistic one.

“There is nothing easier that increasing wages and pensions, but that will lead us to hyperinflation,” Tadić cautioned, adding that the government would spend all of 2009 maintaining its capacities.

He said that neither jobs nor administrative positions would not be protected in unprofitable companies, adding that there could be no investment in production that had no market.

Commenting on speculation that his cabinet was too involved in the work of the government and undermining its authority, Tadić said that his “cabinet does not have any influence on the work of the government.”

“It could in theory be said that I have influence on the work of the government as the leader of the largest party in parliament, but that is not the case either,” the president said.

Speaking about combating corruption, Tadić said that the conditions had been created in Serbia where no one was safe and that this would be proven in the coming months.

“We can never stop looking for corruption in the system” the president said, adding that this was not an warning, but his heartfelt opinion.

He said that Serbia had no alternative strategic solution to EU integration, but that this would not affect relations between Serbia and Russia.

“We cannot give up on the EU, because without Serbia, which is the most important country in the region strategically, there is no stability,” Tadić said.