"Serbia won't hold early parliamentary elections"

BELGRADE URS party leader and cabinet minister Mladjan Dinkic has stated that there will be no early parliamentary elections in the country. The United Regions of Serbia (URS) at the same time announced that it will present its program for Belgrade in mid-March. "Serbia won't hold early parliamentary elections" Dinkic added that he completely agreed with National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Vice Governor Veselin Pjescic’s assessment that early elections would bring uncertainty to the economy and cause the dinar to drop. “I think there will be no early elections and that all that is just talk that I am already sick of. I completely share the opinion of the vice governor that people from the economy should be asked what they think about the elections,” he said after a meeting with representatives of the IT sector. The URS leader and finance and economy minister underscored that the early elections would not be held and that it was meaningless to talk about it. The URS said on Thursday that they would present their program for the city of Belgrade in mid-March as a part of their preparations for local elections in the municipalities of Vozdovac and Zemun “but also for elections in the entire city should they come”. “Possible calling of elections in Belgrade does not depend on the URS but we are aware that elections will be held in Vozdovac and Zemun. We are getting ready for the elections in Vozdovac and Zemun and for possible elections in the city,” URS Presidency member Miroslav Cuckovic has said. He told a press conference that the URS had started working on a “modified program for Belgrade” because of the current situation. “We went to the previous elections with a very good and non-pretentious program but those elections were held in a shadow of a duel between (Democratic Party leader) Dragan Djilas and (Serbian Progressive Party leader) Aleksandar Vucic. It is clear today that these two are no longer leaders that will compete in a possible game in Belgrade and the URS is hoping for the first time that citizens will decide on programs, not on individuals,” the URS official stressed. Cuckovic added that the backbone of the program would be a change of the city’s Statute, forming of new municipalities, development of agriculture. “We will present all this in mid-March and we will be proud of it if Belgrade citizens give us their trust,” he said. URS Spokesman Marko Selakovic stated that the party kept its promises on a daily basis when it came to decentralization, country’s economic recovery, continuation of the EU accession. According to him, Dinkic and URS deputy leader and Deputy PM for EU integration Suzana Grubjesic's activities are aimed at realizing those goals. “The biggest result of Suzana Grubjesic’s work is that a date for the start of the (EU accession) negotiations is no longer a foggy landscape but a reality. We are convinced that the government has the strength to continue the EU pathway in a good way and a determination to get the things moving in the country,” Selakovic pointed out. He added that it was more important for Serbia to have peace, stability and perspective than to pay attention to daily political conflicts, noting that a secret of the government’s good work was team work and the fact that everybody did their job and what they knew best. “As long as this continues and as long there is team work there will be a clear perspective for this country, people, for every town and region,” Selakovic concluded. Mladjan Dinkic (Beta) Tanjug

"Serbia won't hold early parliamentary elections"

Dinkić added that he completely agreed with National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Vice Governor Veselin Pješčić’s assessment that early elections would bring uncertainty to the economy and cause the dinar to drop.

“I think there will be no early elections and that all that is just talk that I am already sick of. I completely share the opinion of the vice governor that people from the economy should be asked what they think about the elections,” he said after a meeting with representatives of the IT sector.

The URS leader and finance and economy minister underscored that the early elections would not be held and that it was meaningless to talk about it.

The URS said on Thursday that they would present their program for the city of Belgrade in mid-March as a part of their preparations for local elections in the municipalities of Voždovac and Zemun “but also for elections in the entire city should they come”.

“Possible calling of elections in Belgrade does not depend on the URS but we are aware that elections will be held in Voždovac and Zemun. We are getting ready for the elections in Voždovac and Zemun and for possible elections in the city,” URS Presidency member Miroslav Čučković has said.

He told a press conference that the URS had started working on a “modified program for Belgrade” because of the current situation.

“We went to the previous elections with a very good and non-pretentious program but those elections were held in a shadow of a duel between (Democratic Party leader) Dragan Đilas and (Serbian Progressive Party leader) Aleksandar Vučić. It is clear today that these two are no longer leaders that will compete in a possible game in Belgrade and the URS is hoping for the first time that citizens will decide on programs, not on individuals,” the URS official stressed.

Čučković added that the backbone of the program would be a change of the city’s Statute, forming of new municipalities, development of agriculture.

“We will present all this in mid-March and we will be proud of it if Belgrade citizens give us their trust,” he said.

URS Spokesman Marko Selaković stated that the party kept its promises on a daily basis when it came to decentralization, country’s economic recovery, continuation of the EU accession.

According to him, Dinkić and URS deputy leader and Deputy PM for EU integration Suzana Grubješić's activities are aimed at realizing those goals.

“The biggest result of Suzana Grubješić’s work is that a date for the start of the (EU accession) negotiations is no longer a foggy landscape but a reality. We are convinced that the government has the strength to continue the EU pathway in a good way and a determination to get the things moving in the country,” Selaković pointed out.

He added that it was more important for Serbia to have peace, stability and perspective than to pay attention to daily political conflicts, noting that a secret of the government’s good work was team work and the fact that everybody did their job and what they knew best.

“As long as this continues and as long there is team work there will be a clear perspective for this country, people, for every town and region,” Selaković concluded.