University Professor: Socialists Will Disappear Unless They Move Away from Progressives

Milos Besic (Photo: Beta/Milan Ilic)

A professor of the Faculty of Political Studies of the University in Belgrade, Milos Besic, stated on July 23 that the Socialist Party of Serbia would disappear from the political scene unless it shifted away from the Serbian Progressive Party.

Besic told BETA that a large number of voters of the Socialist Party overlapped with those of the Progressives, because the Socialist Party had lost its character. “Political and ideological preferences, and even the social democratic characteristics of Progressive Party’s voters, are very similar to those of the Socialists’ voters. When these two options exist in a coalition arrangement, as is the case now, the probability of voters of the smaller party gravitating towards the larger one is greater. The Socialist Party has allowed itself to have no particular character in relation to the Progressive Party, which would be important for the voters to stay with the Socialists,” the professor said.

In his words, the last thing that emphasized the Socialists’ over the Progressive Party was four years ago when they insisted on close cooperation with the Russian Federation. “There is no longer any support to the Russian Federation and the Socialist electorate is simply dissolving and shifting toward the Progressive Party,” Besic stated.

“The Socialist Party could be saved by a new leader who would undertake the shift away from the Progressives. The party needs a new clear policy – one different from that of the Progressives, either on the issue of ties with Russia or a different welfare policy. If that does not take place, the Socialist Party of Serbia will either completely disappear from the Serbian political scene, or become an irrelevant political partner in some pre-election coalition arrangements,” professor Besic concluded.