SPS: DSS most likely coalition partner

Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic says that his party “will no longer support anybody's minority government.” Dacic added that the first person he would be speaking to after the May 11 elections would be Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader Vojislav Kostunica. SPS: DSS most likely coalition partner In an interview for Belgrade daily Politika, he ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the Democratic Party (DS) in order to win a parliamentary majority. The SPS leader said that the conditions for the party's possible participation in a future government were changes to: the law on health insurance, so that everyone had the right to free medical treatment; the law on education, with the abolishment of scholarships; the law on labor, with the introduction of obligatory collective contracts, and the law on pensions. With reference to the fact that he had launched his party’s election campaign by quoting Slobodan Milosevic, Dacic was asked whether that meant a “definite return“ to Milosevic policies, or if using “prophetic” words was just a ploy, regardless of the consequences of such policies. He retorted by asking: “And what have been the consequences of policies after 2000? We got the Dayton Accords and Resolution 1244. What have they done in eight years?” “Aren't Tadic, Kostunica and Nikolic saying that Kosovo is Serbia? Aren't they saying that the basis for Serbia’s fight for Kosovo is Resolution 1244? What were they saying back in 2000? It would have been good if they’d said that in 1999 and 2000. They’ve come over to our policies, we haven’t changed our policies one iota in nationalist terms. When I listen today to what other politicians are saying, I have to ask one logical question—why did they bring us down? What’s the difference?” wondered Dacic. “Let’s get things straight: we’re not just basing our policies on Milosevic’s responses, we just want to remind everyone of what was positive in our time in power, and for which time has, both unfortunately and fortunately, provided one big political reward—the nationalist policies we led in that period based on, primarily, the Dayton Accords and Resolution 1244,” stressed the SPS leader. He said that the Socialists now had “their own new policies” that were based on existing social injustices and the country’s economic predicament. “We want to go forward and to show that we can do better than those who came after us,” said Dacic. Ivica Dacic, center (FoNet, archive)

SPS: DSS most likely coalition partner

In an interview for Belgrade daily Politika, he ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the Democratic Party (DS) in order to win a parliamentary majority.

The SPS leader said that the conditions for the party's possible participation in a future government were changes to: the law on health insurance, so that everyone had the right to free medical treatment; the law on education, with the abolishment of scholarships; the law on labor, with the introduction of obligatory collective contracts, and the law on pensions.

With reference to the fact that he had launched his party’s election campaign by quoting Slobodan Milošević, Dačić was asked whether that meant a “definite return“ to Milošević policies, or if using “prophetic” words was just a ploy, regardless of the consequences of such policies.

He retorted by asking: “And what have been the consequences of policies after 2000? We got the Dayton Accords and Resolution 1244. What have they done in eight years?”

“Aren't Tadić, Koštunica and Nikolić saying that Kosovo is Serbia? Aren't they saying that the basis for Serbia’s fight for Kosovo is Resolution 1244? What were they saying back in 2000? It would have been good if they’d said that in 1999 and 2000. They’ve come over to our policies, we haven’t changed our policies one iota in nationalist terms. When I listen today to what other politicians are saying, I have to ask one logical question—why did they bring us down? What’s the difference?” wondered Dačić.

“Let’s get things straight: we’re not just basing our policies on Milošević’s responses, we just want to remind everyone of what was positive in our time in power, and for which time has, both unfortunately and fortunately, provided one big political reward—the nationalist policies we led in that period based on, primarily, the Dayton Accords and Resolution 1244,” stressed the SPS leader.

He said that the Socialists now had “their own new policies” that were based on existing social injustices and the country’s economic predicament.

“We want to go forward and to show that we can do better than those who came after us,” said Dačić.