"Nikolić losing control of Radicals"

Daily Blic writes that Tomislav Nikolic told Boris Tadic that he was no longer able to control a section of his own MPs. The Serb Radical Party (SRS) deputy leader spoke with the president last Thursday, and told him that he could no longer control a section of his party, writes Blic, quoting sources high up in the Democratic Party (DS). "Nikolic losing control of Radicals" According to the paper, Nikolic told Tadic that he could no longer “iron out“ the behavior of certain Radicals, and that the problem lay with the faction of the party most loyal to SRS leader Vojislav Seselj—namely, Dragan Todorovic, Zoran Krasic, Gordana Pop-Lazic, Vjerica Radeta and Natasa Jovanovic. He said that there had already been contact with Russia over the energy agreement and that this had brought an end to the obstruction in parliament, and that the deal should be adopted as early as next week, claims Blic’s source. The fact that Nikolic opposes the hate speak that SRS MPs have been dishing out in parliament in recent days, and that he wants the party to focus more on citizens’ problems than on Seselj’s defense, has only widened the rift between himself and the rest of the party leadership, states Blic. There is also a third faction in the party led by Secretary General Aleksandar Vucic, which does not wish to interfere in the Nikolic-Seselj conflict and is for now staying to the side, although it is much closer to the latter, as Nikolic accuses Vucic of directing the bulk of the party’s resources on his ultimately failed bid for Belgrade mayor, and thus deny the SRS the chance of a better showing at the parliamentary ballot, writes Blic. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta)

"Nikolić losing control of Radicals"

According to the paper, Nikolić told Tadić that he could no longer “iron out“ the behavior of certain Radicals, and that the problem lay with the faction of the party most loyal to SRS leader Vojislav Šešelj—namely, Dragan Todorović, Zoran Krasić, Gordana Pop-Lazić, Vjerica Radeta and Nataša Jovanović.

He said that there had already been contact with Russia over the energy agreement and that this had brought an end to the obstruction in parliament, and that the deal should be adopted as early as next week, claims Blic’s source.

The fact that Nikolić opposes the hate speak that SRS MPs have been dishing out in parliament in recent days, and that he wants the party to focus more on citizens’ problems than on Šešelj’s defense, has only widened the rift between himself and the rest of the party leadership, states Blic.

There is also a third faction in the party led by Secretary General Aleksandar Vučić, which does not wish to interfere in the Nikolić-Šešelj conflict and is for now staying to the side, although it is much closer to the latter, as Nikolić accuses Vučić of directing the bulk of the party’s resources on his ultimately failed bid for Belgrade mayor, and thus deny the SRS the chance of a better showing at the parliamentary ballot, writes Blic.