| DSS congratulates Tadić amid speculation on cabinet's fate |
| 4 February 2008 | 10:01 -> 13:41
| Source:
B92, Beta |
BELGRADE --
The DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenović congratulated Boris Tadić on his election victory today.
 | Koštunica talks to reporters after voting yesterday (FoNet)
|
The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) official said that he believes the outcome of the presidential elections "will not have any effects on the stability of the government."
Tadić's Democrats (DS) are senior partners in Serbia's ruling coalition, which also includes DSS-NS and G17 Plus.
“It is extremely important that the elections were held and concluded in good order, taking into consideration that possibility that Kosovo’s independence could be unilaterally proclaimed very shortly,” Mladenović told Radio Beta-RFI.
He repeated that lack of support for Tadić "should not effect the cabinet."
“Every government, especially a coalition, depends on the will of those that make it up. We do not have any indications that anyone will leave the coalition."
"As far as the DSS is concerned, we expect that the government will continue to work as before, and in such an important moment which awaits us, it is crucial for the cabinet and other institutions to work at full capacity in order to defend the territorial integrity of the country,” Mladenović said.
The DSS conditioned support for Tadić between the two rounds of voting, when his opponent, Radical Tomislav Nikolić, had a first round lead.
Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica's party demanded that the DS signs an annex to the existing coalition deal stating that the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union would not be signed if the EU sends a mission to Kosovo without the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
Tadić rejected this as blackmail, and entered the second round with only the backing of Mlađan Dinkić and his G17 Plus.
Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić told B92 Sunday that despite the lack of support, the ruling coalition would remain intact provided the DSS stayed true to the principles the coalition was founded on.
But Dinkić, minister of economy in the Koštunica cabinet, blasted the DSS behavior in the campaign as "disgraceful", and added that "serious talks" within the coalition must now follow.
Dinkić said that Tadić, the DS and G17 Plus, "are responsible for putting into practice what citizens want."
"This will also have to be observed by those who did not publicly support Tadić at the elections. The will of the people will have to be observed by Koštunica and [New Serbia President Velimir] Ilić, and everybody else who remained silent," Dinkić said.
Political analyst Vladimir Goati told B92 shortly after the result of the vote became apparent that the coalition could be facing a crisis.
Sociologist Jovo Bakić was of a similar opinion, stating that the large turnout “bears witness to the fact that Koštunica (prime minister and DSS leader) is the biggest loser” of the presidential elections, adding that the DSS had become a “marginal” party.
Goran Svilanović of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe went a step further, saying that the only honorable thing for Vojislav Koštunica to do would be to resign as prime minister.
“If the prime minister honestly wants the best for Serbia, his only good move would be to resign and call new parliamentary elections,” Svilanović surmised.
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