Ecological Uprising: Goal is to Separate Parliamentary from Local Elections

Aleksandar Jovanovic Cuta (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS)

The opposition’s goal is to have the parliamentary and local elections called separately for the first time since Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic came to power, Aleksandar ‘Cuta’ Jovanovic, the leader of the Ecological Uprising movement, told the Sept. 11 edition of the Danas daily.

According to Jovanovic, the opposition demands that a snap parliamentary vote be held before the year is out, after which regular local and provincial elections can take place in May 2024.

Asked whether he envisages right-wing parties joining “the nationwide Serbia Against Violence movement,” Jovanovic stated that “all party programs must be suspended until some later elections because, right now, the house is on fire.” He also clarified that he considers the opposition “anyone who wants to topple Vucic.”

After officially parting ways from the Together party last week – along with other members of the Ecological Uprising – Jovanovic announced that his movement might form a new parliamentary caucus with Miroslav Aleksic’s People’s Movement of Serbia and independent MP Milos Parandilovic, formerly of the Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia.

Speaking for the Sept. 11 edition of the Nova daily, Aleksic said that his party will “be absolutely focused” on creating a large ‘Serbia Against Violence bloc for the next elections.

The parties staging the ongoing ‘Serbia Against Violence’ rallies previously announced that, on Sept. 11, they would submit to President Vucic a demand for extraordinary parliamentary and local Belgrade elections to be called before the end of the year.