Crta: Delays Show that Parliament, Government Do Not Have Realistic Political Power

CRTA

The Serbian Progressive Party won a convincing majority in Serbia’s parliamentary vote last month, and there’s no reason not to inaugurate the new parliament and cabinet as quickly as possible – the delays Serbia is witnessing reveal a lack of genuine political power in the hands of the two institutions, suggesting that decisions are made elsewhere, Pavle Dimitrijevic of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA).

In an interview with the N1 TV Dimitrijevic recalled that the Serbian parliament should be the vital representative body in the country, but it had failed to serve its true purpose for years.

“The previous parliament was a stage for narrowing room for dialogue in different ways. The parliament was transformed into an administrative bureau, supposed to seal government decisions,” Dimitrijevic explained, adding that the next can hardly be expected to make a breakthrough in that respect either.

The ongoing processes launched over election irregularities do not pose a formal or legal obstacle to the inauguration of a new legislature, Dimitrijevic said, adding though that whether anything would change in the future depended on their outcome.