Tadić: Law will set election dates

President Boris Tadic said yesterday that all elections had to be held in accordance with the Constitution. He did not elaborate on whether this would take place before the end of the year. Tadic: Law will set election dates "I am convinced that nobody in this country wants to violate the law or the Constitution, as this would represent a form of political pollution," Tadic told reporters after the opening ceremony of a three-day international conference entitled Environment for Europe. Representatives of the ruling coalition have confirmed that negotiations are under way over calling presidential, local and provincial elections in December, so that they can be held at the beginning of next year. Constitutional Law stipulates that presidential elections must be called by December 31, 2007, or within 60 days of the last of six laws coming into force – the Laws on the president of the Republic, the election of the president, defense, the military, foreign affairs and the security services. Three laws have already been drafted - on defense, the military and foreign affairs. According to Beta’s sources, the Democratic Party (DS) could accept an alternative agreement, whereby presidential elections would be called by the end of the year, and held by the end of February 2008, which would be in accordance with Constitutional Law, which the DS insists on. President Boris Tadic (Fonet) ‘Coalition will decide on elections” Velimir Ilic says that he expects new elections to be called once the Kosovo issue has been settled. Asked to respond to President Boris Tadic’s statement that presidential, local and provincial elections should be called in line with the Constitution and Constitutional Law, New Serbia leader Ilic said, “We will see what happens, that is something that will be determined at a coalition meeting.” Vice-President of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Aleksandar Popovic said that he did not believe that the difference in opinion regarding the election calendar would lead to a crisis within the government. Popovic said that it was possible to find a balance between calling elections and respecting Constitutional Law, but that one also had to take into consideration the country’s overarching national interests, as well as the fact that Serbia was currently fighting for its very survival. He told daily Vecernje Novosti that a whole set of laws and technical prerequisites had to be adopted before elections could be held. G17 Plus Vice President Ivana Dulic-Markovic said that her party wanted presidential elections to be held by the end of the year, and local elections to be called before the end of the year too. “It will all come down to the coalition agreement,” Dulic-Markovic told B92.

Tadić: Law will set election dates

"I am convinced that nobody in this country wants to violate the law or the Constitution, as this would represent a form of political pollution," Tadić told reporters after the opening ceremony of a three-day international conference entitled Environment for Europe.

Representatives of the ruling coalition have confirmed that negotiations are under way over calling presidential, local and provincial elections in December, so that they can be held at the beginning of next year.

Constitutional Law stipulates that presidential elections must be called by December 31, 2007, or within 60 days of the last of six laws coming into force – the Laws on the president of the Republic, the election of the president, defense, the military, foreign affairs and the security services.

Three laws have already been drafted - on defense, the military and foreign affairs.

According to Beta’s sources, the Democratic Party (DS) could accept an alternative agreement, whereby presidential elections would be called by the end of the year, and held by the end of February 2008, which would be in accordance with Constitutional Law, which the DS insists on.

‘Coalition will decide on elections”

Velimir Ilić says that he expects new elections to be called once the Kosovo issue has been settled.

Asked to respond to President Boris Tadić’s statement that presidential, local and provincial elections should be called in line with the Constitution and Constitutional Law, New Serbia leader Ilić said, “We will see what happens, that is something that will be determined at a coalition meeting.”

Vice-President of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Aleksandar Popović said that he did not believe that the difference in opinion regarding the election calendar would lead to a crisis within the government.

Popović said that it was possible to find a balance between calling elections and respecting Constitutional Law, but that one also had to take into consideration the country’s overarching national interests, as well as the fact that Serbia was currently fighting for its very survival.

He told daily Večernje Novosti that a whole set of laws and technical prerequisites had to be adopted before elections could be held.

G17 Plus Vice President Ivana Dulić-Marković said that her party wanted presidential elections to be held by the end of the year, and local elections to be called before the end of the year too.

“It will all come down to the coalition agreement,” Dulić-Marković told B92.