New government to have “16 or 17 ministries”

BELGRADE Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) acting leader Aleksandar Vucic has stated that it is realistic to expect that Serbia will get a new government on Friday. He added that it would have 18 members and 16 or 17 ministries. New government to have “16 or 17 ministries” Names of candidates for future ministers will according to him be known after the SNS Main Board meeting on Sunday. “Friday is realistically the day when the job should be done and government chosen but whether it will be a day before or a day after, we will see. I think that there will be a total of 18 government members and 16 or 17 ministries and the new government will certainly have three members less than the previous one before the reshuffle,” the SNS acting leader explained. He told Tanjug that there would be no “feudalization” in the new government. When asked whether he would be a defense minister, Vucic said that it would be known on Sunday, adding that he “would like to deal with security, defense and combat against corruption and crime”. He said he was also interested in being a coordinator of security services, i.e. a Council for National Security secretary but that the president would decide on it. “I cannot impose my position and my opinion on the president but if he wants to, I will accept it,” Vucic said. He added that there were no legal obstacles that would prevent him from being both minister and the secretary. When asked whether that would make him the most powerful man in the state, he said that he “would never see the job as a toy or a weapon or tools against anyone, except in combat against crime and corruption”. The SNS acting leader said that the new foreign minister would be a seasoned diplomat who was not an SNS member. He also said that the new culture minister would be “acceptable for everybody” while a minister for sport should be a person who was not a member of any party. Aleksandar Vucic (Beta, file) “Public information law will be annulled” Vucic also said on Saturday that the public information law would be annulled. “We will annul the act and ensure media freedom, but this does not mean that we will allow the kind of robbery and crime such as was the case with (the sale of Belgrade-based daily) Politika,” he said. “A similar thing happened to (Belgrade-based daily) Vecernje novosti, we have learned,” Vucic told Tanjug but withheld the details. “There have been murky, illegal sales of some private media in Serbia earlier,” the SNS official added. “As far as the private media are concerned, these things can happen, but when it comes to state-owned media - it cannot be,” Vucic stressed. “Under the government coalition agreement, the state actors should endeavor to reform legislation with the aim of contributing to the creation of an open democratic society, ensuring conditions for a fair, free and quality journalism and the realization of the constitutional principle of the right of citizens to truthful and comprehensive information,” he said. “The agreement also stipulates that the signatory parties of the future coalition government should be committed to fighting censorship and self-censorship in the media and to changing legislation, in particular the information, broadcasting and telecommunications acts,” Vucic pointed out. According to the agreement, the regulations should be adapted not only to demands for further democratization of the media, but also to the modern technologies, which help citizens be better informed. The part of the coalition agreement relevant to the media states that any kind of monopoly or political control over the media should also be prevented. “We will provide full publicity and transparency of ownership structure in the media, coupled with the prevention of concentration of ownership that goes beyond European standards,” reads the agreement. Tanjug

New government to have “16 or 17 ministries”

Names of candidates for future ministers will according to him be known after the SNS Main Board meeting on Sunday.

“Friday is realistically the day when the job should be done and government chosen but whether it will be a day before or a day after, we will see. I think that there will be a total of 18 government members and 16 or 17 ministries and the new government will certainly have three members less than the previous one before the reshuffle,” the SNS acting leader explained.

He told Tanjug that there would be no “feudalization” in the new government.

When asked whether he would be a defense minister, Vučić said that it would be known on Sunday, adding that he “would like to deal with security, defense and combat against corruption and crime”.

He said he was also interested in being a coordinator of security services, i.e. a Council for National Security secretary but that the president would decide on it.

“I cannot impose my position and my opinion on the president but if he wants to, I will accept it,” Vučić said.

He added that there were no legal obstacles that would prevent him from being both minister and the secretary.

When asked whether that would make him the most powerful man in the state, he said that he “would never see the job as a toy or a weapon or tools against anyone, except in combat against crime and corruption”.

The SNS acting leader said that the new foreign minister would be a seasoned diplomat who was not an SNS member.

He also said that the new culture minister would be “acceptable for everybody” while a minister for sport should be a person who was not a member of any party.

“Public information law will be annulled”

Vučić also said on Saturday that the public information law would be annulled.

“We will annul the act and ensure media freedom, but this does not mean that we will allow the kind of robbery and crime such as was the case with (the sale of Belgrade-based daily) Politika,” he said.

“A similar thing happened to (Belgrade-based daily) Večernje novosti, we have learned,” Vučić told Tanjug but withheld the details.

“There have been murky, illegal sales of some private media in Serbia earlier,” the SNS official added.

“As far as the private media are concerned, these things can happen, but when it comes to state-owned media - it cannot be,” Vučić stressed.

“Under the government coalition agreement, the state actors should endeavor to reform legislation with the aim of contributing to the creation of an open democratic society, ensuring conditions for a fair, free and quality journalism and the realization of the constitutional principle of the right of citizens to truthful and comprehensive information,” he said.

“The agreement also stipulates that the signatory parties of the future coalition government should be committed to fighting censorship and self-censorship in the media and to changing legislation, in particular the information, broadcasting and telecommunications acts,” Vučić pointed out.

According to the agreement, the regulations should be adapted not only to demands for further democratization of the media, but also to the modern technologies, which help citizens be better informed.

The part of the coalition agreement relevant to the media states that any kind of monopoly or political control over the media should also be prevented.

“We will provide full publicity and transparency of ownership structure in the media, coupled with the prevention of concentration of ownership that goes beyond European standards,” reads the agreement.