BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC
On July 27, the National Assembly of Serbia commenced debating a months-old motion of no confidence in the current cabinet, which is also the single agenda item of the day’s extraordinary sitting.
Filed back in February over the scandal surrounding the attempted sale of the former Army General Staff Building, the motion, signed by 62 opposition MPs, was initially shelved for two months before Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic put it on the agenda for April 15.
Since then, the MPs of the ruling majority refused to provide a quorum for any sitting involving the motion only to finally give their signatures to calling today’s extraordinary sitting.
Until the matter is resolved, the government cannot call early parliamentary elections.
Should Parliament deny the no confidence motion, the current cabinet will continue its term and can then legally offer its resignation to the president of state.
If Parliament does accept the motion – or if Prime Minister Djuro Macut himself resigns – a 30-day countdown will commence on electing a new cabinet. In the event that a new steering body is not created before the deadline runs out, the National Assembly will be disbanded and snap elections called.
According to the law, the pre-election campaign for parliamentary elections can last no less than 45 nor more than 60 days. Meanwhile, President Aleksandar Vucic has already announced that early elections will take place in either October or November.
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