Two parliament sessions postponed

Parliament will not vote on the legislation it debated in the past month since the sessions scheduled for today have been canceled. Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic made the decision to postpone both sessions planned for this Saturday due to "illness of the ruling coalition MPs". Two parliament sessions postponed This means that voting on a set of judicial reform laws and travel documents will not take place, but also that a debate on the 2009 budget draft will not begin. Earlier, MPs from the Vojvodina Hungarian Alliance list announced there will be no quorum in parliament because the government did not accept their amendments to a law regulating seats of courts. However, the speaker assured that the ruling coalition lawmakers' poor health has nothing to do with this development, and added she was informed "there will be a majority", but that she does not know "who will be in it". Political analyst Dejan Vuk Stankovic commented for B92 that the government "should not have allowed new delays of parliament" considering the importance of the laws in question, and did not rule out the possibility that the ruling coalition will meet the Hungarian Coalition's conditions. "If that does happen, it will mean that the government is able to manage problems as it goes, and if it doesn't, we will find ourselves in an unpleasant situation when it comes to the functioning of the authorities and adoption of the budget." "This is a serious moment, but we should not jump to conclusions that this is a great political crisis that could produce some sort of elections," said this analyst. On Friday, parliament was not in session as St. Nicholas Day was celebrated by a large number of Serbs as their family patron saint. Mysterious illness? But some opposition parties explored the meaning behind the explanation given for today's postponement of parliament's activities. Thus, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) called on the speaker to announce the names of the illness-stricken MPs. "It is important for the public to learn which MPs are sick, and what sickness they're suffering from, since it prevents a session from being held. If the MPs are not in fact sick, but there is a crisis in the ruling coalition, then they should tell the citizens about this rather than employ deception over and over again," DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenovic said in Belgrade on Saturday. Meanwhile, Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic says the situation with the postponements and a lack of quorum demonstrates that those who send laws to parliament are unable to strike a deal with the parties that are supposed to pass those laws. "They all like to celebrate and gorge themselves on food, they did so yesterday, and will do so today, that's the reason the ruling coalition cannot secure a parliamentary majority," Jovanovic said in reference to yesterday's St. Nicholas Day, celebrated widely in Serbia as many families' patron saint. "On Monday," he continued, "they will remember the citizens by calling parliament a black hole, while it is only as black as they make it." As for the government, Jovanovic believes that is has "distanced itself from the real life to such an extent that it lost parliament's support", and criticized Djukic-Dejanovic for "not giving a real explanation" for the postponement. "There's no illness, except that which comes after excessive drinking and eating, that dogs each one of them because they decided not to work on St. Nicholas Day, as if every one of them celebrates it," concluded Jovanovic. Healthy MPs are seen in parliament on Thursday (FoNet)

Two parliament sessions postponed

This means that voting on a set of judicial reform laws and travel documents will not take place, but also that a debate on the 2009 budget draft will not begin.

Earlier, MPs from the Vojvodina Hungarian Alliance list announced there will be no quorum in parliament because the government did not accept their amendments to a law regulating seats of courts.

However, the speaker assured that the ruling coalition lawmakers' poor health has nothing to do with this development, and added she was informed "there will be a majority", but that she does not know "who will be in it".

Political analyst Dejan Vuk Stanković commented for B92 that the government "should not have allowed new delays of parliament" considering the importance of the laws in question, and did not rule out the possibility that the ruling coalition will meet the Hungarian Coalition's conditions.

"If that does happen, it will mean that the government is able to manage problems as it goes, and if it doesn't, we will find ourselves in an unpleasant situation when it comes to the functioning of the authorities and adoption of the budget."

"This is a serious moment, but we should not jump to conclusions that this is a great political crisis that could produce some sort of elections," said this analyst.

On Friday, parliament was not in session as St. Nicholas Day was celebrated by a large number of Serbs as their family patron saint.

Mysterious illness?

But some opposition parties explored the meaning behind the explanation given for today's postponement of parliament's activities.

Thus, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) called on the speaker to announce the names of the illness-stricken MPs.

"It is important for the public to learn which MPs are sick, and what sickness they're suffering from, since it prevents a session from being held. If the MPs are not in fact sick, but there is a crisis in the ruling coalition, then they should tell the citizens about this rather than employ deception over and over again," DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenović said in Belgrade on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović says the situation with the postponements and a lack of quorum demonstrates that those who send laws to parliament are unable to strike a deal with the parties that are supposed to pass those laws.

"They all like to celebrate and gorge themselves on food, they did so yesterday, and will do so today, that's the reason the ruling coalition cannot secure a parliamentary majority," Jovanović said in reference to yesterday's St. Nicholas Day, celebrated widely in Serbia as many families' patron saint.

"On Monday," he continued, "they will remember the citizens by calling parliament a black hole, while it is only as black as they make it."

As for the government, Jovanović believes that is has "distanced itself from the real life to such an extent that it lost parliament's support", and criticized Đukić-Dejanović for "not giving a real explanation" for the postponement.

"There's no illness, except that which comes after excessive drinking and eating, that dogs each one of them because they decided not to work on St. Nicholas Day, as if every one of them celebrates it," concluded Jovanović.