Part of Opposition Criticize Ruling Party’s Bills

Pavle Grbovic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

During the session on Jan. 14, members of the Serbian parliament from the Movement of Free Citizens and the Serbia Center (SRCE) party criticized the draft amendments to five judicial laws, supported by the MPs from the ruling coalition.

MP Pavle Grbovic accused the authorities of amending the laws because they were “preparing for a confrontation with the rebelling citizens” and, in that context, pointed out the changes in the police and the refusal of state officials to meet with European parliamentarians. He also said that the purposes of amendments nominated by an MP of the Serbian Progressive Party, Ugljesa Mrdic, were not efficiency and the interest of the public, but a redistribution of power within the judiciary in the interest of the Progressive Party and its officials.

An MP of the SRCE party, Stefan Janjic, described the draft amendments to the judicial laws as scandalous, assessing that the Progressive MP who nominated them had “made the effort to write them” but that this had “no legal weight.” Unlike the opposition Movement of Free Citizens and SCRE, MPs of the Progressive Party’s coalition partners – the Unified Serbia, the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and the Social Democratic Party of Serbia have announced that they would support the amendments.

The Association of Judges of Serbia has urged the Assembly of Serbia not to apply urgent procedure on these amendments, so that the process of passing systemic laws would remain within the regular, transparent and inclusive legal procedure. The judges have urged the executive and legislative power to respect the institutions of Serbia and abandon attempts to work around the High Judicial Council and the High Council of Prosecutors and to strip them of authority.