President talks early elections, change of Constitution

BELGRADE Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolic says that early parliamentary elections should not be held unless there is a “great instability”. He noted that the country should focus on economic recovery instead. President talks early elections, change of Constitution The president assessed that it would be very difficult to change the Constitution and that the existing one should be respected. “I do not recommend going to new elections without some great instability in Serbia. The government has just started working, achieving some results. Why would we go to the new elections, to create new relations in the ruling coalition? What would that be good for,” Nikolic stressed. Commenting on media reports that it is possible that the early parliamentary elections will be held in 2013, he said that anyone who believed they could win more votes needed to think about what would be happening in the state during the election process. “Those who want elections need to realize that people are sick of them. The voter turnout will be lower the more often we go to the elections,” Nikolic explained. According to him, the Serbian government has started keeping almost all of its campaign promises, primarily combat against corruption and crime. The president said that one should not fear accusations of “political persecution”. “We need to deal with politicians who were criminals because everything started from there. It was not the people who corrupted politicians, politicians corrupted people. We need to see this through and we should not fear accusations of political persecution because the public will recognize parties that defend their members who were criminals,” he underscored. According to Nikolic, one should also not pay much attention to a campaign about depoliticization of public companies’ leadership. “The party needs to have people who will run the state and it is not a shame for the party to appoint its people once it has taken over responsibility for the state. And whether it will be in a public competition or not is completely irrelevant. It is important that they are capable people,” he noted. The president assessed that the government so far had done a good job but that he would not hesitate to criticize the government if necessary. He said that the procedure for the change of the Serbian Constitution was complicated and that the Constitution in 2006 had been adopted after numerous difficulties. “I think we need to very seriously prepare the change of the Constitution and seriously persuade the people that it should be done because the proposal will otherwise fail. There is no energy and will to change the Constitution and it is very hard to change the Constitution. Therefore, this Constitution should be respected because anyone who thinks that it should be changed needs to think that around 59 percent of voters go to the polls in the elections that decide on the country’s fate. I am pessimistic that we would be able to change the Constitution in the foreseeable future if there were no justifiable reasons,” Nikolic concluded. The president told Tanjug that he believed that it was the right time to resolve the Kosovo issue in the next several years, during his term in office. “Kosovo is slipping through our fingers. What we could have done five or ten years ago we cannot achieve today and what we can do this year we maybe not be able to do next year,” he concluded. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta, file) Beta Tanjug

President talks early elections, change of Constitution

The president assessed that it would be very difficult to change the Constitution and that the existing one should be respected.

“I do not recommend going to new elections without some great instability in Serbia. The government has just started working, achieving some results. Why would we go to the new elections, to create new relations in the ruling coalition? What would that be good for,” Nikolić stressed.

Commenting on media reports that it is possible that the early parliamentary elections will be held in 2013, he said that anyone who believed they could win more votes needed to think about what would be happening in the state during the election process.

“Those who want elections need to realize that people are sick of them. The voter turnout will be lower the more often we go to the elections,” Nikolić explained.

According to him, the Serbian government has started keeping almost all of its campaign promises, primarily combat against corruption and crime.

The president said that one should not fear accusations of “political persecution”.

“We need to deal with politicians who were criminals because everything started from there. It was not the people who corrupted politicians, politicians corrupted people. We need to see this through and we should not fear accusations of political persecution because the public will recognize parties that defend their members who were criminals,” he underscored.

According to Nikolić, one should also not pay much attention to a campaign about depoliticization of public companies’ leadership.

“The party needs to have people who will run the state and it is not a shame for the party to appoint its people once it has taken over responsibility for the state. And whether it will be in a public competition or not is completely irrelevant. It is important that they are capable people,” he noted.

The president assessed that the government so far had done a good job but that he would not hesitate to criticize the government if necessary.

He said that the procedure for the change of the Serbian Constitution was complicated and that the Constitution in 2006 had been adopted after numerous difficulties.

“I think we need to very seriously prepare the change of the Constitution and seriously persuade the people that it should be done because the proposal will otherwise fail. There is no energy and will to change the Constitution and it is very hard to change the Constitution. Therefore, this Constitution should be respected because anyone who thinks that it should be changed needs to think that around 59 percent of voters go to the polls in the elections that decide on the country’s fate. I am pessimistic that we would be able to change the Constitution in the foreseeable future if there were no justifiable reasons,” Nikolić concluded.

The president told Tanjug that he believed that it was the right time to resolve the Kosovo issue in the next several years, during his term in office.

“Kosovo is slipping through our fingers. What we could have done five or ten years ago we cannot achieve today and what we can do this year we maybe not be able to do next year,” he concluded.