Local, parliamentary elections "should be held separately"

Serbia’s Education Minister and Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) deputy leader Zarko Obradovic says the SPS agrees to hold parliamentary elections in April 2012. He also said that it would be a good idea to hold parliamentary and local elections separately. Local, parliamentary elections "should be held separately" “That's our position. When this is discussed we will try to make the best possible decision for the state. It is not good for the local elections to remain in the shadow of the republic [elections], because large political topics will overpower those that are of vital importance for municipalities. But it is not a secret either that a party's result on a republic level can be mirrored to a result on a local level,“ he stressed. He stressed that the SPS was not afraid that the Democratic Party (DS) and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) could push them aside if the parliamentary and local elections were held at the same time. “Now way. We are not backing down and we are not afraid. The goal of the SPS-PUPS (Party of United Pensioners of Serbia)-JS (United Serbia) is to be the third political power in the state and I am sure we will achieve it,“ Obradovic explained. Commenting on SPS leader Ivica Dacic's announcement that the next government will be formed together with the Democrats, he said that it was fair to say they wanted to continue a good cooperation. When asked whether the SPS would stick with the DS even if the SNS won the elections and offered them a coalition, the SPS deputy leader said that the Socialists did not say with whom they did not want to form the government and that they only said who they would like to be in the government with. He stressed that the ruling coalition had achieved many results during the past three years, adding that those would be its trump cards in the next elections. Zarko Obradovic (Tanjug, file)

Local, parliamentary elections "should be held separately"

“That's our position. When this is discussed we will try to make the best possible decision for the state. It is not good for the local elections to remain in the shadow of the republic [elections], because large political topics will overpower those that are of vital importance for municipalities. But it is not a secret either that a party's result on a republic level can be mirrored to a result on a local level,“ he stressed.

He stressed that the SPS was not afraid that the Democratic Party (DS) and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) could push them aside if the parliamentary and local elections were held at the same time.

“Now way. We are not backing down and we are not afraid. The goal of the SPS-PUPS (Party of United Pensioners of Serbia)-JS (United Serbia) is to be the third political power in the state and I am sure we will achieve it,“ Obradović explained.

Commenting on SPS leader Ivica Dačić's announcement that the next government will be formed together with the Democrats, he said that it was fair to say they wanted to continue a good cooperation.

When asked whether the SPS would stick with the DS even if the SNS won the elections and offered them a coalition, the SPS deputy leader said that the Socialists did not say with whom they did not want to form the government and that they only said who they would like to be in the government with.

He stressed that the ruling coalition had achieved many results during the past three years, adding that those would be its trump cards in the next elections.