Vucic Tells Progressive Party Convention: You Are in Spite of Those Who Didn’t Want You to Come

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS/EV)

Aleksandar Vucic, president of Serbia and the Serbian Progressive Party, told a major convention held on Nov. 27 to mark the party's 13th anniversary that everyone attending the assembly was there out of contrariness to those who wanted to prevent it.

Vucic told supporters in Belgrade's Start Arena that Serbs were contrarians when someone tried to forbid them something. "We have shown today what a decent Serbia looks like," the president said.

"We are too small as a country to have the right to conflict. Let others provoke conflict. We will unite the nation, and all decent, normal people. That is the only future for this party and our country. And thank you for representing the decent Serbia," Vucic said, adding that a party assembly had adopted a decision that, for as long as the Progressives lead Serbia, the state would wage a policy of independence and acting in the interests of the people.

Vucic will remain president of the party until elections in April when an extraordinary party assembly will be held to elect a new president and deputy president, Progressive vice-president Ana Brnabic announced on Nov. 27. She said that at its fifth electoral assembly the Progressive Party had elected under 100 members to the Presidency, and that she was especially proud that a large number of new Presidency members were women.