Sociologist: Victory Increased Vucic’s Legitimacy

Jovo Bakic (MEDIJA CENTAR BEOGRAD)

Sociologist Jovo Bakic has stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s re-election victory has only increased his legitimacy. Bakic added that, despite his personal low opinion of Vucic, the president achieved an indisputably great success by winning 2.1 million votes, which is 100,000 more than in the previous elections.

In an interview for the latest edition of the NIN weekly, Bakic said: “All this adding up of percentages and mandates, both past and present, that the people who share my views are doing is an exercise in futility, because the Serbian Progressive Party has no political relevance. As in any authoritarian regime, a single man holds all the reins, followed by his closest circle of associates, some of whom are mobsters. Everyone else is simply a well-paid prop.”

According to the social scientist, Vucic has managed to send several messages in a short time, “the first of which is that Ivica Dacic is deluding himself if he believes the support he gave Vucic’s bid for reelection in any way obligates Vucic to reciprocate.” “That is why the press conference held by the Socialist Party of Serbia’s management [in wake of the parliamentary elections] was more reminiscent of a memorial service than of the presentation of a party that achieved its greatest score in the past decade, ever since it joined with the Progressives to rule [the country],” Bakic explained.

The sociologist further drew attention to Vucic’s statement that “it is irresponsible to win votes based on Putinophilia,” adding that this clearly referred to both Dacic and the far right, the latter of whom “allegedly worry [Vucic], despite the fact that he created them.”

Vucic, Bakic claimed, sent the same message to both the Socialists and the far right: “If I introduce sanctions against Russia and align with the West, you won’t fare well.” In the case of certain Socialist party members, Bakic maintained, “that could mean prison.”

 Vucic’s third message, according to the sociologist, was “offering an olive branch to [Dragan] Djilas” implying: “while the two of us squabble, others attack us and profit.” “Considering the ethical and other traits of Dragan Djilas and those around him, I believe in the possibility of a coalition between the two great rivals,” Bakic said, adding “[m]aybe not right now, but [possibly] once changes in international relations allow [or even] demand it.”