Belgrade assembly session postponed

Senior officials of the party groups have agreed to postpone the Belgrade assembly session scheduled for today. The meeting was called so that the city’s executive government could be elected, mayor included, but the minimum number of assembly members was not present, meaning that there was no quorum to hold the session today. Belgrade assembly session postponed Earlier in the day, assembly speaker Branislav Belic, DS, told B92 that officials from his party led coalition, “For a European Belgrade”, the SPS coalition and the LDP have told him that they would not be coming to the meeting, “because they believe it could spiral out of control, taking into account the events occurring in Belgrade over the last several days”. In that case, there would be no quorum in the city assembly, Belic explained. “I will not be able to open the session because I will not have a quorum, for which 56 officials are needed. If representatives from the ‘For a European Belgrade’ list, SPS and LDP are not present, a quorum will not be possible,” he explained. “In that case, according to the Law on Local Self-Administration, I will have to inform the public that the next session will be scheduled at a later junction, and try to reach an agreement on that with the parties,” Belic said. The deadline for choosing a mayor, deputy mayor and the members of the city executive council expires on August 22. If a city government is not formed by then an imposed administration and new local elections in Belgrade will be announced. The Belgrade assembly today (FoNet) “Scandalous, unbelievable” After the decision today, Aleksandar Vucic, SRS, said that the move to postpone the session is "scandalous”. “This is a degradation for Belgrade, a disparagement of the citizens,” Vucic told journalists. The Serb Radical Party (SRS) official said that today’s events show that “the dictatorship of Boris Tadic continues” and that he “plans on controlling the entire country like a real dictator.” “We will not allow him to do that,” Vucic said. Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman Andreja Mladenovic also criticized the decision and said it shows a lack of respect for the citizens of Belgrade. “I have been a representative for a long time and have never seen those making up the majority boycotting the assembly session they had scheduled themselves. It is an unbelievable situation,” Mladenovic said. He said that the postponement shows that the officials of the DS and SPS pre-election coalitions and the LDP do not have the majority and cannot reach an agreement regarding the formation of the city government and the distribution of executive positions. “It would be best to announce new elections for the city of Belgrade,” Mladenovic concluded.

Belgrade assembly session postponed

Earlier in the day, assembly speaker Branislav Belić, DS, told B92 that officials from his party led coalition, “For a European Belgrade”, the SPS coalition and the LDP have told him that they would not be coming to the meeting, “because they believe it could spiral out of control, taking into account the events occurring in Belgrade over the last several days”.

In that case, there would be no quorum in the city assembly, Belić explained.

“I will not be able to open the session because I will not have a quorum, for which 56 officials are needed. If representatives from the ‘For a European Belgrade’ list, SPS and LDP are not present, a quorum will not be possible,” he explained.

“In that case, according to the Law on Local Self-Administration, I will have to inform the public that the next session will be scheduled at a later junction, and try to reach an agreement on that with the parties,” Belić said.

The deadline for choosing a mayor, deputy mayor and the members of the city executive council expires on August 22. If a city government is not formed by then an imposed administration and new local elections in Belgrade will be announced.

“Scandalous, unbelievable”

After the decision today, Aleksandar Vučić, SRS, said that the move to postpone the session is "scandalous”.

“This is a degradation for Belgrade, a disparagement of the citizens,” Vučić told journalists.

The Serb Radical Party (SRS) official said that today’s events show that “the dictatorship of Boris Tadić continues” and that he “plans on controlling the entire country like a real dictator.”

“We will not allow him to do that,” Vučić said.

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman Andreja Mladenović also criticized the decision and said it shows a lack of respect for the citizens of Belgrade.

“I have been a representative for a long time and have never seen those making up the majority boycotting the assembly session they had scheduled themselves. It is an unbelievable situation,” Mladenović said.

He said that the postponement shows that the officials of the DS and SPS pre-election coalitions and the LDP do not have the majority and cannot reach an agreement regarding the formation of the city government and the distribution of executive positions.

“It would be best to announce new elections for the city of Belgrade,” Mladenović concluded.