Parliament resumes debate on ministries

Parliament is continuing to debate the proposed Law on Ministries today, according to which the new government will be made up of 24 ministries. 84 amendments were proposed for the law. Parliament resumes debate on ministries Parliamentary officials earlier debated the Law on the Government. The opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS), the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), New Serbia (NS) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) say that they will not vote for the proposed changes because they are unconstitutional. During today’s debate, opposition party MPs' proposed amendments focused chiefly on the number of ministries in the future government, as well as on those ministries’ powers. Opposition party officials said that the proposed changes would not enhance the government’s efficiency or the development of the economy owing to their poor structure. They added that part of the Environment Ministry should be set aside for spatial planning, because environmental protection was an important enough issue in its own right. SRS officials, who put forward the majority of the 70 objections filed regarding the Law on Ministries, asked for tourism to be grouped with trade and services once again, instead of with the Economy Ministry. SRS MP Natasa Jovanovic said that funds for tourism were not being properly directed, and that there were not enough necessary projects in that area. DSS official Milos Aligrudic said that the proposed provisions of the Law on the Government are unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court will not allow them. “If we are to translate everything we are reading into the political reality that will take place in a few days...which means if Mr. Mirko Cvetkovic cannot, for some reason, attend a cabinet meeting, then Mr. [Ivica] Dacic would have the so-called deciding ‘golden vote’ if a certain ministerial vote ends in a tie. Maybe you didn’t want to, but that’s what you’ve written,” Aligrudic told parliament. SRS deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic said that Serbia was in a situation again where someone who was not able to pass the census could join the Democratic Party, and once again be able to decide on the budget and other important national issues. Fellow SRS official Natasa Jovanovic said that the DS wanted to turn Serbia into a presidential system with these changes to the government law. “The puppet of the Western powers, Boris Tadic, wants to rule Serbia like a dictator. The Serbian government and this ‘special deputy prime minister’, will listen to nothing but the orders of the Democratic Party,” Jovanovic said. Parliament today (FoNet)

Parliament resumes debate on ministries

Parliamentary officials earlier debated the Law on the Government. The opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS), the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), New Serbia (NS) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) say that they will not vote for the proposed changes because they are unconstitutional.

During today’s debate, opposition party MPs' proposed amendments focused chiefly on the number of ministries in the future government, as well as on those ministries’ powers.

Opposition party officials said that the proposed changes would not enhance the government’s efficiency or the development of the economy owing to their poor structure. They added that part of the Environment Ministry should be set aside for spatial planning, because environmental protection was an important enough issue in its own right.

SRS officials, who put forward the majority of the 70 objections filed regarding the Law on Ministries, asked for tourism to be grouped with trade and services once again, instead of with the Economy Ministry.

SRS MP Nataša Jovanović said that funds for tourism were not being properly directed, and that there were not enough necessary projects in that area.

DSS official Miloš Aligrudić said that the proposed provisions of the Law on the Government are unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court will not allow them.

“If we are to translate everything we are reading into the political reality that will take place in a few days...which means if Mr. Mirko Cvetković cannot, for some reason, attend a cabinet meeting, then Mr. [Ivica] Dačić would have the so-called deciding ‘golden vote’ if a certain ministerial vote ends in a tie. Maybe you didn’t want to, but that’s what you’ve written,” Aligrudić told parliament.

SRS deputy leader Tomislav Nikolić said that Serbia was in a situation again where someone who was not able to pass the census could join the Democratic Party, and once again be able to decide on the budget and other important national issues.

Fellow SRS official Nataša Jovanović said that the DS wanted to turn Serbia into a presidential system with these changes to the government law.

“The puppet of the Western powers, Boris Tadić, wants to rule Serbia like a dictator. The Serbian government and this ‘special deputy prime minister’, will listen to nothing but the orders of the Democratic Party,” Jovanović said.