SNS official and speaker in favor of early polls

BELGRADE Serbia should call early parliamentary elections together with the forthcoming early elections in Belgrade, said Nebojsa Stefanovic. The Serbian parliament speaker is also a vice president of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS), the leading party in the ruling coalition. SNS official and speaker in favor of early polls Simultaneous parliamentary and local elections in Belgrade would not hinder the process of Serbia's EU accession talks, instead the elections would make it possible for the reforms to be implemented more courageously, he said. The early elections in Belgrade will be held within the legally determined time frame, said Stefanovic, who in the capacity of the Serbian parliament's speaker is due to call the elections, adding that this can be expected late in February or early in March following the upcoming consultations. Stefanovic said in an interview for Tanjug that the SNS has not yet made a decision on calling early parliamentary elections, adding that he thinks that the elections should be called. “Simultaneous elections would not jeopardize the EU integration process in any way since the intergovernmental conference will be held on January 21. Second, the election campaign would be short, if the elections were called, no longer than 45 days,” Stefanovic said. The government headed by SNS leader Aleksandar Vucic would have a greater capacity for reforms, greater support in the parliament, and consequently painful and difficult reform moves, which are expected, would be made more courageously, he said. Stefanovic also said that it would be good if the citizens assessed the coalition government and all member parties, as well as the opposition, in order to open the doors to a more peaceful period of four years. He denied that the SNS wants to hold all power in the country, pointing to the example of Belgrade's municipality Zemun where the SNS has entered a coalition with two partners though it could have formed the local government on its own. “This is not our interest, this is not our goal, but rather structural reforms, we do not have a motive to assume a greater number of offices and seats,” Stefanovic said. (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

SNS official and speaker in favor of early polls

Simultaneous parliamentary and local elections in Belgrade would not hinder the process of Serbia's EU accession talks, instead the elections would make it possible for the reforms to be implemented more courageously, he said.

The early elections in Belgrade will be held within the legally determined time frame, said Stefanović, who in the capacity of the Serbian parliament's speaker is due to call the elections, adding that this can be expected late in February or early in March following the upcoming consultations.

Stefanović said in an interview for Tanjug that the SNS has not yet made a decision on calling early parliamentary elections, adding that he thinks that the elections should be called.

“Simultaneous elections would not jeopardize the EU integration process in any way since the intergovernmental conference will be held on January 21. Second, the election campaign would be short, if the elections were called, no longer than 45 days,” Stefanović said.

The government headed by SNS leader Aleksandar Vučić would have a greater capacity for reforms, greater support in the parliament, and consequently painful and difficult reform moves, which are expected, would be made more courageously, he said.

Stefanović also said that it would be good if the citizens assessed the coalition government and all member parties, as well as the opposition, in order to open the doors to a more peaceful period of four years.

He denied that the SNS wants to hold all power in the country, pointing to the example of Belgrade's municipality Zemun where the SNS has entered a coalition with two partners though it could have formed the local government on its own.

“This is not our interest, this is not our goal, but rather structural reforms, we do not have a motive to assume a greater number of offices and seats,” Stefanović said.