"Budget to pass despite SVM objections"

Despite pressure from the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM), the ruling coalition has secured enough support to approve the 2010 budget draft. This is according to a report today in Belgrade daily Danas, which quotes Democratic Party (DS) official Branko Ristic as saying, “We have a majority without the four SVM MPs, who claim that they will not vote for the 2010 budget if their amendment is not accepted." "Budget to pass despite SVM objections" He added that the government would not have sent the budget draft to the parliament if it was not confident that a parliamentary majority would support the bill. The 78 MPs of the DS-led“For a European Serbia” coalition are expected to vote for the budget draft. This will include 24 G17 plus MPs, 15 from SPS-JS, five from PUPS and two members of parliament from the minority group, Bajro Omeragic and Esad Dzudzevic. It is not known yet how the third official from that group, Riza Halimi will vote. "It's been several months now that I have not voted in favor of the government proposals, and as far as the budget is concerned, I'm particularly unhappy with the funds set aside for the Coordinating Body for the South. That's why I'm not sure I'll support it," said Halimi, who represents ethnic Albanians from the south of the country. But the government will have enough votes without Halimi to pass the budget if the two independent MPs, Vladan Batic and Jovan Damjanovic, vote in favor, writes the newspaper. Damjanovic told Danas that the government can count on his vote, because it is “in the best interest of the state and its citizens.” League of Vojvodina Social Democrats (LSV) official Aleksandra Jerkov confirmed that the party’s five officials will not be supporting the objections of SVM, which the daily dubbed "the Vojvodina story". “We will vote for the budget draft for next year. More than the amendments that SVM is insisting on, it is more important for us to secure long-term solutions related to the financing of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, so we do not have to insist every year on the constitutional seven percent for the province. We insist on property being returned to the autonomous province of Vojvodina,” Jerkov said. But SVM MP Balint Pastor expects that LSV will change its stance. “I do not agree with our friends in LSV when they claim that the questions of property and the financing of Vojvodina are most important. They are important tropics, and we will fight to have them solved, but we are now talking about the 2010 budget. The parliament will vote on the draft in a few days, which goes against Vojvodina interests and is unconstitutional. I still expect that the LSV will support our amendment and that and that they will not enable the passing of the unconstitutional budget,” Pastor said. He added that negotiations with the government will continue. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic confirmed that talks were still ongoing. “We are still talking. I doing it my best, but I believe that the SVM amendment will have to be realized through the Vojvodina budget,” she said.

"Budget to pass despite SVM objections"

He added that the government would not have sent the budget draft to the parliament if it was not confident that a parliamentary majority would support the bill.

The 78 MPs of the DS-led“For a European Serbia” coalition are expected to vote for the budget draft.

This will include 24 G17 plus MPs, 15 from SPS-JS, five from PUPS and two members of parliament from the minority group, Bajro Omeragić and Esad Džudžević.

It is not known yet how the third official from that group, Riza Halimi will vote.

"It's been several months now that I have not voted in favor of the government proposals, and as far as the budget is concerned, I'm particularly unhappy with the funds set aside for the Coordinating Body for the South. That's why I'm not sure I'll support it," said Halimi, who represents ethnic Albanians from the south of the country.

But the government will have enough votes without Halimi to pass the budget if the two independent MPs, Vladan Batić and Jovan Damjanović, vote in favor, writes the newspaper.

Damjanović told Danas that the government can count on his vote, because it is “in the best interest of the state and its citizens.”

League of Vojvodina Social Democrats (LSV) official Aleksandra Jerkov confirmed that the party’s five officials will not be supporting the objections of SVM, which the daily dubbed "the Vojvodina story".

“We will vote for the budget draft for next year. More than the amendments that SVM is insisting on, it is more important for us to secure long-term solutions related to the financing of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, so we do not have to insist every year on the constitutional seven percent for the province. We insist on property being returned to the autonomous province of Vojvodina,” Jerkov said.

But SVM MP Balint Pastor expects that LSV will change its stance.

“I do not agree with our friends in LSV when they claim that the questions of property and the financing of Vojvodina are most important. They are important tropics, and we will fight to have them solved, but we are now talking about the 2010 budget. The parliament will vote on the draft in a few days, which goes against Vojvodina interests and is unconstitutional. I still expect that the LSV will support our amendment and that and that they will not enable the passing of the unconstitutional budget,” Pastor said.

He added that negotiations with the government will continue.

Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović confirmed that talks were still ongoing.

“We are still talking. I doing it my best, but I believe that the SVM amendment will have to be realized through the Vojvodina budget,” she said.