DS officials leave ruling coalition in Bujanovac

Democratic Party (DS) councilors have left the ruling coalition in Bujanovac, southern Serbia, where a majority is made up of three ethnic Albanian parties. This was confirmed on Friday by the the DS Municipal Committee. DS officials leave ruling coalition in Bujanovac This is a logical decision after the provocations with a change of names of streets and squares in Bujanovac, DS Municipal Committee President Boban Pavlovic said. “It is clear that this is mere provocation and an attempt of achieving pre-election political points regardless of the fact that the competent ministry would never approve such a proposal made solely by representatives of Albanian parties,” Pavlovic said. The ethnic Albanian members of the municipal assembly voted in favor of changing names of 17 streets, after which the Serbian officials left the session on February 6. The decision by the ethnic Albanian majority reads that the streets wearing the names of Serbs renowned in the areas if history, science and culture should be replaced by names of Albanian writers and fighters for the Albanian awakening, including terrorist Fatmir Ibisi, who in 2000 killed Serbian police officer Slavisa Dimitrijevic. Serbian officials viewed the proposal as a defeat of the multiethnic community policy and a new crack in already fragile international relations. On the occasion, the Democrats from Bujanovac filed a letter to their coalition partners, local authorities, the Coordination Body for Southern Serbia, its headquarters in Belgrade and the Office of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. The ruling coalition in the Bujanovac Municipal assembly comprises 41 officials, 23 of whom are members of ethnic Albanian parties, two are DS officials, four representatives of the United Region of Serbia, and one official of the United Roma Party. The opposition has so far comprised six members of the Serb Radical Party and five of the Democratic Party of Serbia. The Serbian parties have formed a coalition with the ethnic Albanians in Bujanovac in October 2010 with mediation of the OSCE and the Coordination Body for Southern Serbia. A view of Bujanovac (file) Tanjug

DS officials leave ruling coalition in Bujanovac

This is a logical decision after the provocations with a change of names of streets and squares in Bujanovac, DS Municipal Committee President Boban Pavlović said.

“It is clear that this is mere provocation and an attempt of achieving pre-election political points regardless of the fact that the competent ministry would never approve such a proposal made solely by representatives of Albanian parties,” Pavlović said.

The ethnic Albanian members of the municipal assembly voted in favor of changing names of 17 streets, after which the Serbian officials left the session on February 6.

The decision by the ethnic Albanian majority reads that the streets wearing the names of Serbs renowned in the areas if history, science and culture should be replaced by names of Albanian writers and fighters for the Albanian awakening, including terrorist Fatmir Ibisi, who in 2000 killed Serbian police officer Slaviša Dimitrijević.

Serbian officials viewed the proposal as a defeat of the multiethnic community policy and a new crack in already fragile international relations.

On the occasion, the Democrats from Bujanovac filed a letter to their coalition partners, local authorities, the Coordination Body for Southern Serbia, its headquarters in Belgrade and the Office of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

The ruling coalition in the Bujanovac Municipal assembly comprises 41 officials, 23 of whom are members of ethnic Albanian parties, two are DS officials, four representatives of the United Region of Serbia, and one official of the United Roma Party.

The opposition has so far comprised six members of the Serb Radical Party and five of the Democratic Party of Serbia.

The Serbian parties have formed a coalition with the ethnic Albanians in Bujanovac in October 2010 with mediation of the OSCE and the Coordination Body for Southern Serbia.