Nikolić: Reshuffle needs to be completed

BELGRADE Tomislav Nikolic has urged the government, and particularly the Serb Progressive Party, to end the government reshuffle quickly and continue working on reforms. The president and former SNS leader stressed that there was "always time to hold elections." Nikolic: Reshuffle needs to be completed The Serbian citizens rightly expect the government to ensure the conditions that will give citizens a chance to live in the way they deserve, like other citizens in all modern states, reads a statement released from the president's press service on Tuesday evening. The coalition government, which was formed one year ago, set as its goal to resolve the accumulated economic and social problems, issues that have previously remained unsolved for years, the statement said. Although the Serbian government showed excellent results in many areas in the first year of its term, the situation in the country remains quite complex, and it turned out that not all actors in the Serbian government took careful account of the promises given to the citizens, the statement said. It is time for the adoption of very important decisions for the future of Serbia and its citizens, it is time to show that the government is accountable to the people, and that a minister and his party cannot be more important than the interests of the ordinary citizen, the president said. “Can the interests of a political party, whichever it may be, be more important than the interests of the fatherland and its future,” he said, observing that the citizens do not live any better and no new jobs were created during the new government's first year, and that there must be change, which is the purpose of the government reshuffle. It turned out that certain ministers, whose primary concern should have been economic and social recovery of the country, still consider themselves to be indispensable, although it is obvious that they have not showed the results that they promised to the citizens, the statement reads. “And not only that, they failed to realize that the value system is changing, and that the irresponsible behavior of the authorities towards citizens, as it was from 2000 until the elections in May 2012, is no longer acceptable. We made a promise to the citizens last year. Honorable people keep their promises,” the statement says, adding the Serbian president is urging the government, particularly the biggest party in the government, the SNS, to bring the reshuffle to an end as soon as possible and to continue working on reforms. The president sent a special message to the Serbian Progressive Party to rise above the party interests that are telling it to go to new elections because of the reputation it now enjoys among the people. “Let all those who consider the good of Serbia to be their most important goal, let us all together try to maintain the stability of the institutions of the government that should lead us further on our European way. There is always time for elections,” the statement says. Ivica Dacic and Tomislav Nikolic met on Tuesday in Belgrade (Tanjug) Tanjug

Nikolić: Reshuffle needs to be completed

The Serbian citizens rightly expect the government to ensure the conditions that will give citizens a chance to live in the way they deserve, like other citizens in all modern states, reads a statement released from the president's press service on Tuesday evening.

The coalition government, which was formed one year ago, set as its goal to resolve the accumulated economic and social problems, issues that have previously remained unsolved for years, the statement said.

Although the Serbian government showed excellent results in many areas in the first year of its term, the situation in the country remains quite complex, and it turned out that not all actors in the Serbian government took careful account of the promises given to the citizens, the statement said.

It is time for the adoption of very important decisions for the future of Serbia and its citizens, it is time to show that the government is accountable to the people, and that a minister and his party cannot be more important than the interests of the ordinary citizen, the president said.

“Can the interests of a political party, whichever it may be, be more important than the interests of the fatherland and its future,” he said, observing that the citizens do not live any better and no new jobs were created during the new government's first year, and that there must be change, which is the purpose of the government reshuffle.

It turned out that certain ministers, whose primary concern should have been economic and social recovery of the country, still consider themselves to be indispensable, although it is obvious that they have not showed the results that they promised to the citizens, the statement reads.

“And not only that, they failed to realize that the value system is changing, and that the irresponsible behavior of the authorities towards citizens, as it was from 2000 until the elections in May 2012, is no longer acceptable. We made a promise to the citizens last year. Honorable people keep their promises,” the statement says, adding the Serbian president is urging the government, particularly the biggest party in the government, the SNS, to bring the reshuffle to an end as soon as possible and to continue working on reforms.

The president sent a special message to the Serbian Progressive Party to rise above the party interests that are telling it to go to new elections because of the reputation it now enjoys among the people.

“Let all those who consider the good of Serbia to be their most important goal, let us all together try to maintain the stability of the institutions of the government that should lead us further on our European way. There is always time for elections,” the statement says.