Parliament adopts 2009 budget

The Serbian parliament on Monday adopted the government's draft budget for next year 90 minutes before the deadline. The bill was passed at the eleventh hour, after MPs wrangled throughout the day, with the opposition in the end dropping their proposed amendments. Parliament adopts 2009 budget This allowed the debate and voting to complete before the midnight deadline. 150 MPs were present; 129 voted in favor, while 21 were against. The Radicals and the Serb Progressives (SNS) did not attend the voting. Serbia's new budget envisages RSD 698.7bn of income, and expenditure of RSD 748.3bn, bringing the deficit to RSD 49.6bn. This morning, the debate on the remaining amendments continued, but the adoption of the budget was far from certain because of the large number of amendments and the bickering between parties that has replaced discussion of the budget in parliament in the last several days. However, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said last night that he still hoped that the budget will be adopted before the legal deadline expires. Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic called on MPs to be constructive and to work responsibly in order to vote on the budget, adding that consultations will continue with party leaders. “The work dynamics are very slow. It will be very hard with this speed of work, but I am an optimist and I also want to say, in the interest of the Serbian people, that we will finish the job, but it will be hard to do so within the legal timeframe, which ends at midnight,” she said. “I will use this opportunity to point out the great damage and consequences to the citizens in the case that the budget is not adopted. All development programs, economic development, and the quality of life we stood for in the pre-election campaign, will not be possible without passing the law for the new budget in the same way it was adopted,” Djukic-Dejanovic said. The Serb Radical Party, SRS, said this morning that it would not refrain from debating all 150 of its proposed amendments. “The Serb Radical Party will not withdraw its amendments. We did not proposed them just to withdraw them,” deputy party leader and whip Dragan Todorovic said. “The budget was put at risk because the government was 40 days late, it was supports to pass the budget on November 1, and to have it in parliament by December 1, and then everything would have gone about in a normal fashion,” he said. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic, left, is seen during today's session (Beta)

Parliament adopts 2009 budget

This allowed the debate and voting to complete before the midnight deadline. 150 MPs were present; 129 voted in favor, while 21 were against.

The Radicals and the Serb Progressives (SNS) did not attend the voting.

Serbia's new budget envisages RSD 698.7bn of income, and expenditure of RSD 748.3bn, bringing the deficit to RSD 49.6bn.

This morning, the debate on the remaining amendments continued, but the adoption of the budget was far from certain because of the large number of amendments and the bickering between parties that has replaced discussion of the budget in parliament in the last several days.

However, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said last night that he still hoped that the budget will be adopted before the legal deadline expires.

Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović called on MPs to be constructive and to work responsibly in order to vote on the budget, adding that consultations will continue with party leaders.

“The work dynamics are very slow. It will be very hard with this speed of work, but I am an optimist and I also want to say, in the interest of the Serbian people, that we will finish the job, but it will be hard to do so within the legal timeframe, which ends at midnight,” she said.

“I will use this opportunity to point out the great damage and consequences to the citizens in the case that the budget is not adopted. All development programs, economic development, and the quality of life we stood for in the pre-election campaign, will not be possible without passing the law for the new budget in the same way it was adopted,” Đukić-Dejanović said.

The Serb Radical Party, SRS, said this morning that it would not refrain from debating all 150 of its proposed amendments.

“The Serb Radical Party will not withdraw its amendments. We did not proposed them just to withdraw them,” deputy party leader and whip Dragan Todorović said.

“The budget was put at risk because the government was 40 days late, it was supports to pass the budget on November 1, and to have it in parliament by December 1, and then everything would have gone about in a normal fashion,” he said.