Parliament adjourned for two weeks

Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, SPS, decided to end today's parliament session and schedule it to continue in 14 days. The meeting was adjourned after MPs started today's work pointing to procedural mistakes. Parliament adjourned for two weeks Djukic-Dejanovic told reporters that no agreement with parties was reached to end the session today, but that the decision was the result of her personal appraisal of the situation. "Obviously this atmosphere would have gone on," she said, and added that citizens "do not have to watch the dignity of parliament erode". "It is my estimate that lawmakers need to rest a while, and think through how important the agenda is for the citizens and Serbia, and perhaps after a pause of two weeks come back and work in a proper manner," Djukic-Dejanovic said, also citing "high daily costs of parliament sessions". MPs were to start a debate on the SAA and interim EU agreement as parliament convened in Belgrade today. The session todazy came after they spent three days last week discussing oppositions' complaints that the rules of procedure had been broken. Djukic-Dejanovic said ahead of today's session that she will strive to create "a working atmosphere", despite announcements that opposition parties will continue with parliament's obstruction. "I will most likely try to talk with the heads of parliamentary groups once again, and influence them as much as possible in order to continue according to the agenda. But, the rules of procedure enable for everything else," the speaker told Beta news agency. She stressed that very important issues are on that agenda, and that it is "unacceptable for members of the opposition to obstruct parliament's work, despite all their satisfaction or dissatisfaction". Radical (SRS) official Dragan Todorovic on Sunday said lawmakers and Belgrade assembly members from the ranks of his party would today continue to demonstrate breaches in the parliamentary rules of procedure, and violations in the verifications of the city-level mandates. Djukic-Dejanovic speaks to reporters (FoNet) Preserving dignity Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic stated after the suspended parliament session today that the speaker made the decision in order to preserve the institution's dignity, "because the opposition had decided to topple it", according to a Tanjug news agency report. “A blockade of the parliament work for the sake of daily political interests is not democracy but desecration of democracy and the institution of parliament. This farce had to be stopped. Today is a bad day for our parliamentarianism, for our democracy and I am confident that our citizens know who did this,” Djelic told reporters. The minister also pointed out that the Radicals and the so-called national bloc had decided to topple the institution, while adjournment was "the only way to preserve the parliament's dignity".

Parliament adjourned for two weeks

Đukić-Dejanović told reporters that no agreement with parties was reached to end the session today, but that the decision was the result of her personal appraisal of the situation.

"Obviously this atmosphere would have gone on," she said, and added that citizens "do not have to watch the dignity of parliament erode".

"It is my estimate that lawmakers need to rest a while, and think through how important the agenda is for the citizens and Serbia, and perhaps after a pause of two weeks come back and work in a proper manner," Đukić-Dejanović said, also citing "high daily costs of parliament sessions".

MPs were to start a debate on the SAA and interim EU agreement as parliament convened in Belgrade today.

The session todazy came after they spent three days last week discussing oppositions' complaints that the rules of procedure had been broken.

Đukić-Dejanović said ahead of today's session that she will strive to create "a working atmosphere", despite announcements that opposition parties will continue with parliament's obstruction.

"I will most likely try to talk with the heads of parliamentary groups once again, and influence them as much as possible in order to continue according to the agenda. But, the rules of procedure enable for everything else," the speaker told Beta news agency.

She stressed that very important issues are on that agenda, and that it is "unacceptable for members of the opposition to obstruct parliament's work, despite all their satisfaction or dissatisfaction".

Radical (SRS) official Dragan Todorović on Sunday said lawmakers and Belgrade assembly members from the ranks of his party would today continue to demonstrate breaches in the parliamentary rules of procedure, and violations in the verifications of the city-level mandates.

Preserving dignity

Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić stated after the suspended parliament session today that the speaker made the decision in order to preserve the institution's dignity, "because the opposition had decided to topple it", according to a Tanjug news agency report.

“A blockade of the parliament work for the sake of daily political interests is not democracy but desecration of democracy and the institution of parliament. This farce had to be stopped. Today is a bad day for our parliamentarianism, for our democracy and I am confident that our citizens know who did this,” Đelić told reporters.

The minister also pointed out that the Radicals and the so-called national bloc had decided to topple the institution, while adjournment was "the only way to preserve the parliament's dignity".