Dissidents expelled from Drašković's party

A number of officials of the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) have been expelled from the party after they demanded the resignation of leader Vuk Draskovic. The party officials came from Belgrade, and the decision to remove them from the SPO came from the party's City Board. Dissidents expelled from Draskovic's party However, the seven expelled SPO members said that the party body in question had no jurisdiction to make the decision and that it was illegal, beside the fact that the board has not been meeting for the past six months. Among the seven are heads of several municipal boards in Belgrade. They say that the party statute envisages the possibility that members can be expelled either by the board that they belong to, or the SPO presidency. "Considering that these party organs neither met nor discussed expelling us, it is clear the decision is the result of Draskovic's arbitrariness and a most crude violation of the statute, as well as best proof of our claims that in SPO, it is forbidden to hold one's own opinion. For this reason, once again, we are repeating our demand for Vuk Fraskovic to submit his resignation immediately, considering that with him at the helm, the party has no future at all," said the officials. They include heads of the party's municipal branches in Vozdovac, Vracar, Rakovica and Mladenovac, and members of local boards and SPO councilors in municipal assemblies in Mladenovac, Palilula and Vozdovac. B92

Dissidents expelled from Drašković's party

However, the seven expelled SPO members said that the party body in question had no jurisdiction to make the decision and that it was illegal, beside the fact that the board has not been meeting for the past six months.

Among the seven are heads of several municipal boards in Belgrade.

They say that the party statute envisages the possibility that members can be expelled either by the board that they belong to, or the SPO presidency.

"Considering that these party organs neither met nor discussed expelling us, it is clear the decision is the result of Drašković's arbitrariness and a most crude violation of the statute, as well as best proof of our claims that in SPO, it is forbidden to hold one's own opinion. For this reason, once again, we are repeating our demand for Vuk Frašković to submit his resignation immediately, considering that with him at the helm, the party has no future at all," said the officials.

They include heads of the party's municipal branches in Voždovac, Vračar, Rakovica and Mladenovac, and members of local boards and SPO councilors in municipal assemblies in Mladenovac, Palilula and Voždovac.