Daily claims Dacic is lobbying Church in bid to become PM

Daily claims Dacic is lobbying Church in bid to become PM

The daily said that favorites to replace Aleksandar Vucic as head of government are State Administration Minister Ana Brnabic, Novi Sad Mayor Milos Vucicevic, and Dacic, Serbia's foreign minister, who currently serves as acting PM.

Blic said it learned that President Vucic was, "until a few days ago," close to giving Brnabic the job - "because of the results she achieved in the past nine months." However, the article continued - citing "a well informed source" things began to change after Vucic's general secretary Nikola Selakovic met with "some SPC bishops."

"Based on what some bishops said, it was clear they were against Brnabic (as PM). Aslo, it was clear that some influential bishops find Dacic to be the most acceptable option," the source said, and added that Karic's relations with the SPC are "excellent," and that he is using his contacts in the Church "to help sway the decision in Dacic's favor."

Commenting on this, Karic told Blic that he thinks Vucic will make "a good decision," and noted that "the last person in whose favor he could lobby the Church" is Dacic - a known atheist.

Dacic also reacted to the report to tell the newspaper that the claim he joined Karic to lobby the Church was "ordinary stupidity."

"Why would I lobby the SPC when Vucic is the one making that decision? When did I ask to be prime minister? Priests are not deciding, Vucic is," he said.

Another Belgrade newspaper, Vecernje Novosti, writes that Vucic's ruling SNS party does not want to see Dacic at the helm of government, and insists instead on the job being given to an official from its own ranks.

However, according to the article - there is no agreement on who this person should be. The SNS also "does not want (Dacic's) SPS to be given a greater role in the future government."