SRS divisions obvious, politicologist says

Divisions within the Serb Radical Party (SRS) are obvious, says politicologist and professor Slavisa Orlovic. This could be seen at yesterday’s parliamentary session, when SRS MPs cast curses both at the expense of President Boris Tadic, but also party colleagues, he continued. SRS divisions obvious, politicologist says Orlovic said that the SRS found itself in an absurd situation, given that the party’s deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic had achieved huge electoral success in the absence of SRS leader Vojislav Seselj, while, on the other hand, he was unable to outvote the party’s rank and file. "It is obvious that dissonant overtones can be heard from within the SRS. We witnessed yesterday statements from deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic on the one hand, and completely contrasting statements from Dragan Todorovic on the other, concerning the Interior Ministry’s report [on the protests following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic] promised by the speaker,” Orlovic told Radio B92. Hate speech in parliament can and should be sanctioned, but the current situation requires a special exit strategy for both the ruling majority and the opposition. Orlovic said that the speaker could issue public warnings or sanction and expel MPs from sessions. “I believe that it’s a good thing that in the last two or three days there has been a search for the compromise," he said. Initially, SRS representatives said that they would not attend consultations organized by the speaker, but eventually they did, even though they sent only minor representatives, Orlovic said. “I believe that’s why the speaker was more tolerant at yesterday’s session, as she wanted to give them a chance to express their discontent and anger, and then, in the next phase exercise her right to resort to those kinds of measures,” the analyst surmised. Orlovic said that the political scene was all the more complex because the issue of leadership within the opposition was surfacing, in that Nikolic was actually trying to secure the leadership not only of his own party, but that of the whole opposition. Tomislav Nikolic (Tanjug, archive)

SRS divisions obvious, politicologist says

Orlović said that the SRS found itself in an absurd situation, given that the party’s deputy leader Tomislav Nikolić had achieved huge electoral success in the absence of SRS leader Vojislav Šešelj, while, on the other hand, he was unable to outvote the party’s rank and file.

"It is obvious that dissonant overtones can be heard from within the SRS. We witnessed yesterday statements from deputy leader Tomislav Nikolić on the one hand, and completely contrasting statements from Dragan Todorović on the other, concerning the Interior Ministry’s report [on the protests following the arrest of Radovan Karadžić] promised by the speaker,” Orlović told Radio B92.

Hate speech in parliament can and should be sanctioned, but the current situation requires a special exit strategy for both the ruling majority and the opposition.

Orlović said that the speaker could issue public warnings or sanction and expel MPs from sessions.

“I believe that it’s a good thing that in the last two or three days there has been a search for the compromise," he said.

Initially, SRS representatives said that they would not attend consultations organized by the speaker, but eventually they did, even though they sent only minor representatives, Orlović said.

“I believe that’s why the speaker was more tolerant at yesterday’s session, as she wanted to give them a chance to express their discontent and anger, and then, in the next phase exercise her right to resort to those kinds of measures,” the analyst surmised.

Orlović said that the political scene was all the more complex because the issue of leadership within the opposition was surfacing, in that Nikolić was actually trying to secure the leadership not only of his own party, but that of the whole opposition.