Vučić: 'Decision on elections in about ten days'; 'Serbia is 20 times stronger than it was 15 years ago' PHOTO

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated that a decision on elections will be made in about ten days.

“The people decide what kind of future they want. There are no tricks when it comes to elections. The people decide what kind of future they want and to whom they want to entrust it. I believe elections are extremely important. As I have always said that the state is not a toy, elections are also extremely important, always. Citizens, when choosing their future, must choose those who will best protect the interests of the country. That is not simple. I am preparing a text that will be published in two days, a difficult programmatic text that is not easy to fulfill. It will be interesting for people to see what I am writing about. Elections are a moment of truth for everyone involved in this work, but above all, they are a matter of the country’s future and the future of its people, not about us,” he said, adding that it is not a question of his personal fate or anyone else's, but of millions of people in the country.

“People have often lost states and their essence through bad decisions in elections. That is why elections are extremely important. Elections are not a casual decision — sitting in a bar and drinking beer. Everything depends on elections, on dedication, hard work, and good plans and programs.”

He added that he does not fear political opponents, but only fears God and concerns himself with Serbia’s future due to global developments.

He said he believes major problems are coming and noted that inflation stands at 3.3%.

“In most EU countries it is higher than in Serbia,” he said, adding that medicine prices have increased the most.

He also said he had insisted three times that drug prices be reduced.

Vučić recalled reforms since 2014 and the pressure from the public during economic consolidation.

“Today, when you ask people in many surveys, they say results exist. There has not been enough justice, and part of that responsibility lies with us, and partly with the need to respect the independence of the prosecution. But our biggest fault is not whether someone is rich. I am not envious; I respect people who are wealthy,” he said.

He announced that in the next two or three weeks he will launch a portal where citizens can report irresponsible officials.

On global developments

Speaking about global affairs, he said that China and the United States have stood out, while Europe is trying to keep up through industry.

“When you look at everything, you see that this is the last moment for Europe to try to catch up with China and America. I think that is very difficult. China is ahead of both. You cannot easily compete with them. For increased productivity, they will not ask for shorter working hours — they will ask to work more. We in Europe live the best life. In Western Europe somewhat better than here. They were 400 years ahead of us,” he said, adding:

“In China, you do not have indulgence as a factor; those people have a goal to restore the position they had at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century when they were a dominant power. Our goal in Europe is to live well and to sustain that. With such productivity, do you really think it is possible to beat China?”

On the visit to China

Vučić emphasized that an upcoming visit to China will be the most important for Serbian citizens.

“In my professional life, the visit to China will be the most important because of the citizens of Serbia. It will last five or six days. Our great friend Xi Jinping will receive within a month both Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and me. I somehow ended up there. They like me more than the two of them, but I won’t speak on their behalf. We will talk about robotics, artificial intelligence, military cooperation, but also knowledge and how to ensure education for our people in various fields,” he said.

He added that it is important to change Serbia’s education system.

“I don’t care who gets upset — here is their chance to vote for those who want the status quo. If I criticize the government now, I expected more ambition for essential change. Everything here is schizophrenic. When foreigners took everything during the blockade period, they later claimed it happened during our time; now we are gradually bringing things back into our hands, and even that is criticized. Our companies can buy theirs, just as we are restoring both spiritual and material assets. Serbian businessmen are buying Croatian banks,” he said.