Opposition Movement: State Governed Mafia-Style

Pavle Grbovic (Photo: Media center Belgrade)

The leader of the Free Citizens’ Movement, Pavle Grbovic, said on Aug. 2 that Serbia had been governed “mafia-style”, and that the director of the Security and Information Agency (BIA), Aleksandar Vulin, was “an important cog in that machine,” which was why he was not replaced yet, even though the United States had sanctioned the security agency chief for involvement in international crime and illegal drug trade.

Grbovic, also a member of the “Destination: Europe” caucus, said in an interview published by the Nova newspaper that Vulin “held the most important offices in the security sector while the security of the state was dwindling rapidly.”

“As the security of citizens reached a new law every day, Vulin was climbing higher and higher. It was part of the logic the authorities have been using – the state and citizens can be threatened, but the government and the party – never. That’s also how Nebojsa Stefanovic had lost his party posts amidst accusations that he had jeopardized the state and the president, but kept his ministerial post and remained at the helm of the National Security Council. That’s the way you would run the Mafia, not a state,” Grbovic warned.

Speaking about elections, Grbovic said that he believed that Serbian citizens would like to see all the organizers of the “Serbia Against Violence” protests included in a single list of candidates, but new election formations should be the result of agreement and a joint plan, not arguments.