Demand for Snap Parliamentary Election Opposed by Socialists’ Leader, Backed by the Opposition  

Ivica Dacic (Photo: PrintScreen instagram/mupsrbije)

Ivica Dacic, the Serbian interior minister and the Socialist Party of Serbia leader, on May 6 said there was no reason for holding an early parliamentary election, stressing that political stability and continued economic development were what Serbia needed. 

“The Government has a stable majority in the Parliament. I am not a supporter of any snap, but only regular elections, and I have always been open about this,” Dacic told TV Pink. Noting that he was not afraid of the outcome of a potential vote, Dacic said that “those (demanding an early election) are not aware that it could put an end to their dreams about achieving something in such election.”  

The demand for an early election has so far received the backing of the opposition Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Get Going for Change movement. 

”We recognize the fact that the students of the striking universities now enjoy the support of two-thirds of Serbia’s citizens. The life-giving energy, inspired by the brave, persistent and smart fight for freedom and justice, which young people have awakened in the citizens of Serbia, gives full legitimacy to this demand,” the Democratic Party said in a release. 

The party once again stressed it was ready to provide all the necessary assistance to a future ticket backed by university students in a potential early election, stressing they would not have their party ticket or join any other potential pre-election coalition.

“The ongoing battle in Serbia is not for power, but rather for freedom, for establishing a normal life in the society, and for rebuilding the hijacked and collapsed institutions. We believe that in the current circumstances, our contribution to this struggle can be only possible and fair through this kind of unequivocal support to the student-backed ticket,” the party said in the statement. 

In a post on social media X, Boris Tadic, the Social Democratic leader and the former Serbian president, said he supported students, and called for unity and mobilization of all democratic forces in Serbia “in the struggle for fair electoral conditions, prevention of vote rigging and a historical election victory.” 

“The regime of (President Aleksandar) Vucic has first destroyed a normal political life in Serbia, and has eventually broken the foundation of our society. A snap parliamentary election is absolutely the only way out of the ongoing grave and extremely dangerous crisis in the society,” he said.

Savo Manojlovic, the leader of the Get Going for Change movement, has said in a statement that the protesting students have become the crucial driving engine of social changes, by managing to ensure massive number of people in an organized way, which opposition parties have so far failed to achieve. 

Manojlovic opposes the idea of denying the students the right to political action, stressing that the right to run as a candidate is guaranteed and inalienable. He added that political movements should serve as a bridge between citizens and the government, rather than a tool for staying in power. e na plenarnim sednicama fakulteta, dodaje agencija.