SPS confirms Belgrade deal with SRS-DSS-NS

The SPS Belgrade board has approved a proposed coalition agreement with the DSS-NS and SRS to form local government in Belgrade. Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic said earlier today that “the SPS presidency has taken a decision, in accordance with its statutory powers, to send its approval of the proposed coalition agreement with the Democratic Party of Serbia-New Serbia (DSS-NS) and the Serb Radical Party (SRS) to the SPS’s city board in Belgrade.” SPS confirms Belgrade deal with SRS-DSS-NS This evening, SPS Belgrade board chairman Aleksandar Antic confirmed that this party body had met, and decided to approve the presidency's proposal. The likely new mayor, Radical Aleksandar Vucic, told reporters that the signing of the deal is expected on Wednesday. Earlier Monday, DS Vice-President Dragan Sutanovac told B92 that despite the SPS presidency’s decision, he expected talks to continue with the party on all levels. “I would be very disappointed if the SPS made a decision to enter a coalition with the DSS-NS and SRS in Belgrade in view of the second round of provincial elections in Vojvodina, where the 'For a European Vojvodina' list outclassed the DSS-NS and SRS. I don’t think that there should be any rush and that we should wait for a final agreement, first at state level, and then in Belgrade,’ Sutanovac said. The G17 Plus presidency has unanimously decided to propose to its executive committee not to accept cooperation at state level with the SPS if the party goes through with forming a government with the SRS in Belgrade. Meanwhile, DS and G17 Plus candidate for Belgrade mayor Dragan Djilas said that he was convinced that Vucic would not ultimately emerge triumphant. “It would be logical and fair that whoever receives the most votes at the elections becomes the mayor of Belgrade,” Djilas said in an interview with daily Novosti, adding that the results of the elections “are the only measure that should matter.” Djilas accused the DSS of duping its voters and the DS, adding that “Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and his cabinet, despite a solid level of protest from his Belgrade party administration, blocked an agreement between the DS and the DSS to form a government in Belgrade, even though a basic agreement existed prior to the elections.” He stressed that there was no reason for the DS and SPS not to form a minority government in Belgrade, which would be supported by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), adding that the LDP had “publicly announced that it will, without any conditions, support a state and city administration that leads us into Europe.” “For the DS and the For a European Serbia list, there is no question of having two kinds of government—one in Belgrade, and another in Serbia. Belgrade is the development engine for Serbia and, in order for our train to arrive in Europe, the engineer cannot be Vojislav Seselj," Djilas stressed. The SPS leadership (FoNet) DSS: Agreement soon Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman Andreja Mladenovic said that he expected the coalition agreement between the DSS-NS, the Serb Radical Party (SRS) the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) over forming a local government in Belgrade to be signed soon. “The coalition agreement was due to be signed today or tomorrow, but for technical reasons that has not been possible, so we are expecting the signing to take place in the coming days,” Mladenovic said. He said that the text of the agreement had been defined, along with the principles of work and the distribution of departments. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will not allow Belgrade to be returned to the hands of Vojislav Seselj, and believes that Ivica Dacic must decide whether he will be part of the forces that lead Serbia into the future or return it, along with Seselj, back to the 1990s, says party leader Cedomir Jovanovic. "We call on the Democratic Party to respond to this dark coalition, which is an expression of mathematics and not of the will of the people of Belgrade, to immediately form a European coalition with the LDP in the municipalities of Vracar, Stari Grad, Savski Venac, Palilula, New Belgrade and Zvezdara," he said. The LDP stressed that, as a responsible party, it had shown the readiness to support a DS-SPS government because it believed that at this moment in time, European integration was vital for Serbia in order to free itself once and for all from the defeated policies of Vojislav Kostunica, read a statement from the party.

SPS confirms Belgrade deal with SRS-DSS-NS

This evening, SPS Belgrade board chairman Aleksandar Antić confirmed that this party body had met, and decided to approve the presidency's proposal.

The likely new mayor, Radical Aleksandar Vučić, told reporters that the signing of the deal is expected on Wednesday.

Earlier Monday, DS Vice-President Dragan Šutanovac told B92 that despite the SPS presidency’s decision, he expected talks to continue with the party on all levels.

“I would be very disappointed if the SPS made a decision to enter a coalition with the DSS-NS and SRS in Belgrade in view of the second round of provincial elections in Vojvodina, where the 'For a European Vojvodina' list outclassed the DSS-NS and SRS. I don’t think that there should be any rush and that we should wait for a final agreement, first at state level, and then in Belgrade,’ Šutanovac said.

The G17 Plus presidency has unanimously decided to propose to its executive committee not to accept cooperation at state level with the SPS if the party goes through with forming a government with the SRS in Belgrade.

Meanwhile, DS and G17 Plus candidate for Belgrade mayor Dragan Đilas said that he was convinced that Vučić would not ultimately emerge triumphant.

“It would be logical and fair that whoever receives the most votes at the elections becomes the mayor of Belgrade,” Đilas said in an interview with daily Novosti, adding that the results of the elections “are the only measure that should matter.”

Đilas accused the DSS of duping its voters and the DS, adding that “Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica and his cabinet, despite a solid level of protest from his Belgrade party administration, blocked an agreement between the DS and the DSS to form a government in Belgrade, even though a basic agreement existed prior to the elections.”

He stressed that there was no reason for the DS and SPS not to form a minority government in Belgrade, which would be supported by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), adding that the LDP had “publicly announced that it will, without any conditions, support a state and city administration that leads us into Europe.”

“For the DS and the For a European Serbia list, there is no question of having two kinds of government—one in Belgrade, and another in Serbia. Belgrade is the development engine for Serbia and, in order for our train to arrive in Europe, the engineer cannot be Vojislav Šešelj," Đilas stressed.

DSS: Agreement soon

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman Andreja Mladenović said that he expected the coalition agreement between the DSS-NS, the Serb Radical Party (SRS) the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) over forming a local government in Belgrade to be signed soon.

“The coalition agreement was due to be signed today or tomorrow, but for technical reasons that has not been possible, so we are expecting the signing to take place in the coming days,” Mladenović said.

He said that the text of the agreement had been defined, along with the principles of work and the distribution of departments.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will not allow Belgrade to be returned to the hands of Vojislav Šešelj, and believes that Ivica Dačić must decide whether he will be part of the forces that lead Serbia into the future or return it, along with Šešelj, back to the 1990s, says party leader Čedomir Jovanović.

"We call on the Democratic Party to respond to this dark coalition, which is an expression of mathematics and not of the will of the people of Belgrade, to immediately form a European coalition with the LDP in the municipalities of Vračar, Stari Grad, Savski Venac, Palilula, New Belgrade and Zvezdara," he said.

The LDP stressed that, as a responsible party, it had shown the readiness to support a DS-SPS government because it believed that at this moment in time, European integration was vital for Serbia in order to free itself once and for all from the defeated policies of Vojislav Koštunica, read a statement from the party.