Opposition delivers one million signatures

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic met with opposition SNS and NS leaders Tomislav Nikolic and Velimir Ilic on Monday. The two opposition leaders from the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) and New Serbia (NS), and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vice-President Nenad Popovic, handed over a petition signed by one million citizens calling for early parliamentary elections to be announced in Serbia. Opposition delivers one million signatures Nikolic told reporters that Cvetkovic said during the meeting that he believes his cabinet was "performing well" and that it had fulfilled "almost all goals it set out to achieve". Nikolic, Ilic and Popovic announced that they would continue such joint campaigns because Serbia "needs change". The opposition parties do not believe that the government is working well and say that citizens have a low standard of living. The meeting between the three opposition officials and the prime minister lasted for about an hour. During this time, the street on which the government building is located was closed because of the large number of SNS, NS, and DSS activist, who were carrying party flags and banners. On Sunday, Nikolic told B92 TV that he sees Cvetkovic’s decision to meet with them as a wise one, but does not have great expectations for the meeting. “Truthfully, he is showing that this campaign we carried out is important, since the prime minister is participating in it in some way, and is showing that he is interested in what the Serbian citizens think, and that he should maybe give arguments against what we are calling for, since he obviously does not want to listen to us and meet our demands,” Nikolic said. He added that while there have been different reactions in public from government officials, it has been made clear by everyone in the ruling coalition that they do not want to announce new elections. Asked about the fact that DSS is sending its vice-president instead of its leader, Nikolic said, “Why would I insist on Vojislav Kostunica coming if he does not want to,” adding that by sending their deputy leader, it showed that DSS supports the campaign and “will support others, just as we will support some of theirs”. CeSID Director Marko Blagojevic, who took part in the same talk show, said that the SNS push was a successful "marketing action", but that it would not be enough to force early elections. “I think that the chances are very slim. Only if the SNS initiative coincides with the political will inside the ruling coalition to head in that direction, to dissolve parliament and announce early parliamentary elections. It is an issue of the political will of the ruling coalition at this point, not an obligation,” he said. “SNS is a relatively new party on the Serbian political scene, regardless of the two decades of experience of its political leaders, so now they have to mobilize their supporters, and that is what SNS was successful in doing with this campaign,” political analyst Jovo Bakic, another guest on the program, said. He said that the number of signatures on the petition "does not mean that Nikolic would defeat President Boris Tadic in new presidential election"s, while Blagojevic said that the campaign was "a good indication of how many votes SNS can count on receiving in future elections". Activists hold a banner reading, We want changes (Tanjug)

Opposition delivers one million signatures

Nikolić told reporters that Cvetković said during the meeting that he believes his cabinet was "performing well" and that it had fulfilled "almost all goals it set out to achieve".

Nikolić, Ilić and Popović announced that they would continue such joint campaigns because Serbia "needs change".

The opposition parties do not believe that the government is working well and say that citizens have a low standard of living.

The meeting between the three opposition officials and the prime minister lasted for about an hour.

During this time, the street on which the government building is located was closed because of the large number of SNS, NS, and DSS activist, who were carrying party flags and banners.

On Sunday, Nikolić told B92 TV that he sees Cvetković’s decision to meet with them as a wise one, but does not have great expectations for the meeting.

“Truthfully, he is showing that this campaign we carried out is important, since the prime minister is participating in it in some way, and is showing that he is interested in what the Serbian citizens think, and that he should maybe give arguments against what we are calling for, since he obviously does not want to listen to us and meet our demands,” Nikolić said.

He added that while there have been different reactions in public from government officials, it has been made clear by everyone in the ruling coalition that they do not want to announce new elections.

Asked about the fact that DSS is sending its vice-president instead of its leader, Nikolić said, “Why would I insist on Vojislav Koštunica coming if he does not want to,” adding that by sending their deputy leader, it showed that DSS supports the campaign and “will support others, just as we will support some of theirs”.

CeSID Director Marko Blagojević, who took part in the same talk show, said that the SNS push was a successful "marketing action", but that it would not be enough to force early elections.

“I think that the chances are very slim. Only if the SNS initiative coincides with the political will inside the ruling coalition to head in that direction, to dissolve parliament and announce early parliamentary elections. It is an issue of the political will of the ruling coalition at this point, not an obligation,” he said.

“SNS is a relatively new party on the Serbian political scene, regardless of the two decades of experience of its political leaders, so now they have to mobilize their supporters, and that is what SNS was successful in doing with this campaign,” political analyst Jovo Bakić, another guest on the program, said.

He said that the number of signatures on the petition "does not mean that Nikolić would defeat President Boris Tadić in new presidential election"s, while Blagojević said that the campaign was "a good indication of how many votes SNS can count on receiving in future elections".