Đilas elected Belgrade mayor

Belgrade Assembly councilors have elected Democratic Party (DS) candidate Dragan Djilas as mayor. Djilas was elected with the votes of 58 councilors in a secret ballot. Djilas elected Belgrade mayor The Serb Radical Party, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia did not attend the vote. At the same time, the councilors present elected the candidates for the post of deputy mayor and members of the City Council. Milan Krkobabic (Associated Pensioners’ Party) was elected deputy mayor, while Dejan Mali, Darijan Mihajlovic, Vladan Subarevic, Goran Kostic, Miljana Jovcic, Goran Kretlovic, Miroslav Cuckovic, Nikola Pavic, Oliver Glisic, Goran Aleksic, Mileta Radojevic, Darko Bozic and Slobodan Solevic were elected to the City Council. The new mayor said that Belgrade was a big challenge for him and that he hoped that he, his deputy, and the members of the City Council would succeed in doing a lot for the capital. Outlining his manifesto to the Assembly, Djilas said that he wanted to complete unfinished business, and thanked the representatives of the DSS with whom the DS and G17 Plus had worked successfully for the good of the citizens during the previous mandate. He said that there would still be room for people in the city authorities that did their job well. Djilas called on the opposition to work together, adding that he would ask them to propose their representatives for positions in the public enterprises’ executive boards and tender commissions. The mayor stressed that many exceptional people had led Belgrade, singling out the late Nenad Bogdanovic, “who turned Belgrade into a metropolis”. The DS-led list had received a lot of votes and deserved to have the post of mayor, he said. Dragan Djilas (Beta) Items of agenda adopted The assembly adopted the agenda with the votes of 58 councilors, with the fourth item scheduled to be the election of the mayor, after which there will be a half hour recess. The Belgrade Assembly Code was next adopted. The session was initially attended by 70 of 110 councilors, before Serb Radical Party (SRS) members left the chamber to attend the funeral of one of their members. Explaining the new draft Code, DS member and former Acting Mayor Zoran Alimpic said that changes had been necessary in order to bring it into line with the Local Self-Administration Law given that the mayor was now elected by councilors, while previously he had been elected directly by citizens. During the debate, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) wanted Belic to say whether he would be tendering his resignation as Savski Venac municipal president and if not, how he would be able to perform both functions simultaneously. A two-item agenda was adopted prior to this—election of members of the City Electoral Commission and the Administrative Mandate Commission. Serb Radical Party (SRS) Secretary-General Aleksandar Vucic said that the SRS would not be obstructing the session, even though, as he put it, the formation of this local authority constituted electoral fraud. SRS councilors left the chamber at midday to attend the funeral of Ranko Panic. According to the SRS, Panic died from injuries he suffered at the hands of police officers on July 29, during the protests against the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. Djilas candidate Earlier, the Democratic Party (DS), the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), the Associated Pensioners’ Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) reached an agreement, while Assembly Speaker Branislav Belic announced he would propose Dragan Djilas (DS) as the new mayor. Standard procedure was for the candidate to set out his manifesto and propose a City Council, after which the city assembly voted on his choice in a secret ballot. “There is no reason for it not to be OK. I’m ready to hold it for two days, and if need be I'll stay seated until we finish this, because I’m responsible and because I think that Belgrade needs to resolve this matter,“ said Belic. The mayor and the City Council receive a four-year mandate. The new majority in the Belgrade Assembly has announced that at least half of city officials will be non-party members and has promised that the city administration’s work will be more transparent in future. “The DS stated that it accepted the principle of depoliticization in the city administration. The basis for our talks was that this process would develop in the area of the public enterprises. This principle was expanded during our talks, so that it will also apply to the Secretariat and the Council, as well as all other areas,“ the LDP’s Ivan Andric told B92 last night. Despite the collapse of his agreement with the SPS, Serb Radical Party (SRS) candidate for mayor Aleksandar Vucic does not feel like a loser. “The Socialists not only signed the agreement, but said that ’Vucic is the best solution’, all their people said so. Am I a worse solution, because for some reason they’ve changed their mind in the meantime, is it because of money, a job offer or a lack of morals?" "I can accept that too, if they’re going to convince me that [LDP leader] Cedomir Jovanovic is better with his artificial jaw from Siler Street (a reference to Jovanovic’s supposed links to the Zemun Clan) or [President] Boris Tadic with his thieves—that’s no problem, I can accept that too,“ said Vucic. The Radicals anounced they would vote against the election of the mayor and City Council, but did not wish to confirm whether they would obstruct the assembly’s work. Vucic stated merely that they would conduct themselves like honorable people.

Đilas elected Belgrade mayor

The Serb Radical Party, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia did not attend the vote. At the same time, the councilors present elected the candidates for the post of deputy mayor and members of the City Council.

Milan Krkobabić (Associated Pensioners’ Party) was elected deputy mayor, while Dejan Mali, Darijan Mihajlović, Vladan Šubarević, Goran Kostić, Miljana Jovčić, Goran Kretlović, Miroslav Čučković, Nikola Pavić, Oliver Glišić, Goran Aleksić, Mileta Radojević, Darko Božić and Slobodan Šolević were elected to the City Council.

The new mayor said that Belgrade was a big challenge for him and that he hoped that he, his deputy, and the members of the City Council would succeed in doing a lot for the capital.

Outlining his manifesto to the Assembly, Đilas said that he wanted to complete unfinished business, and thanked the representatives of the DSS with whom the DS and G17 Plus had worked successfully for the good of the citizens during the previous mandate.

He said that there would still be room for people in the city authorities that did their job well.

Đilas called on the opposition to work together, adding that he would ask them to propose their representatives for positions in the public enterprises’ executive boards and tender commissions.

The mayor stressed that many exceptional people had led Belgrade, singling out the late Nenad Bogdanović, “who turned Belgrade into a metropolis”.

The DS-led list had received a lot of votes and deserved to have the post of mayor, he said.

Items of agenda adopted

The assembly adopted the agenda with the votes of 58 councilors, with the fourth item scheduled to be the election of the mayor, after which there will be a half hour recess. The Belgrade Assembly Code was next adopted.

The session was initially attended by 70 of 110 councilors, before Serb Radical Party (SRS) members left the chamber to attend the funeral of one of their members.

Explaining the new draft Code, DS member and former Acting Mayor Zoran Alimpić said that changes had been necessary in order to bring it into line with the Local Self-Administration Law given that the mayor was now elected by councilors, while previously he had been elected directly by citizens.

During the debate, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) wanted Belić to say whether he would be tendering his resignation as Savski Venac municipal president and if not, how he would be able to perform both functions simultaneously.

A two-item agenda was adopted prior to this—election of members of the City Electoral Commission and the Administrative Mandate Commission.

Serb Radical Party (SRS) Secretary-General Aleksandar Vučić said that the SRS would not be obstructing the session, even though, as he put it, the formation of this local authority constituted electoral fraud.

SRS councilors left the chamber at midday to attend the funeral of Ranko Panić. According to the SRS, Panić died from injuries he suffered at the hands of police officers on July 29, during the protests against the arrest of Radovan Karadžić.

Đilas candidate

Earlier, the Democratic Party (DS), the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), the Associated Pensioners’ Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) reached an agreement, while Assembly Speaker Branislav Belić announced he would propose Dragan Đilas (DS) as the new mayor.

Standard procedure was for the candidate to set out his manifesto and propose a City Council, after which the city assembly voted on his choice in a secret ballot.

“There is no reason for it not to be OK. I’m ready to hold it for two days, and if need be I'll stay seated until we finish this, because I’m responsible and because I think that Belgrade needs to resolve this matter,“ said Belić.

The mayor and the City Council receive a four-year mandate. The new majority in the Belgrade Assembly has announced that at least half of city officials will be non-party members and has promised that the city administration’s work will be more transparent in future.

“The DS stated that it accepted the principle of depoliticization in the city administration. The basis for our talks was that this process would develop in the area of the public enterprises. This principle was expanded during our talks, so that it will also apply to the Secretariat and the Council, as well as all other areas,“ the LDP’s Ivan Andrić told B92 last night.

Despite the collapse of his agreement with the SPS, Serb Radical Party (SRS) candidate for mayor Aleksandar Vučić does not feel like a loser.

“The Socialists not only signed the agreement, but said that ’Vučić is the best solution’, all their people said so. Am I a worse solution, because for some reason they’ve changed their mind in the meantime, is it because of money, a job offer or a lack of morals?"

"I can accept that too, if they’re going to convince me that [LDP leader] Čedomir Jovanović is better with his artificial jaw from Šiler Street (a reference to Jovanović’s supposed links to the Zemun Clan) or [President] Boris Tadić with his thieves—that’s no problem, I can accept that too,“ said Vučić.

The Radicals anounced they would vote against the election of the mayor and City Council, but did not wish to confirm whether they would obstruct the assembly’s work. Vučić stated merely that they would conduct themselves like honorable people.