Ivica Dacic (Photo: PrintScreen RTS)
Ivica Dacic, the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, said on Nov. 8 that his party has no plans of cooperating with any political group after the elections save for its current coalition partner, the Serbian Progressive Party – and explained that changing allegiances would be like “trading a sure thing for a gamble.”
Speaking for Happy TV, the outgoing deputy prime minister insisted that the Socialists are “loyal partners.” Not only is there no danger of them switching sides, he said, but the Socialists will, if necessary, act “as the last line of defense” for the incumbent regime.
“Why would I leave the majors to compete in the minors?. . . It’s untrue that the Socialists are changing sides,” Dacic said.
“No one should worry about the Socialists. We are loyal partners and I have no need to explain myself to anyone. We have no one to betray, we’re running independently. We’ve supported [Aleksandar] Vucic twice. We believe that it’s best for Serbia for Vucic to be president and Dacic to be prime minister. These elections are for [the office of] prime minister and Cabinet [positions],” Dacic explained.
He further stated that portraying part of the opposition as “pro-European” is, in his opinion, “a blatant lie.” “Trite claims such as that there is no democracy [in Serbia], no media freedom, no human rights” were used by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, which toppled the Socialist regime led by Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, Dacic said.
“When you see how they acted [then] and how they’re acting [now], you realize it’s a cliché. [The upcoming elections] are a re-match with [the Democratic Opposition of Serbia] and I’m looking forward to it,” the politician concluded.
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