Dacic: Socialists Want to Stay in the Coalition with the Progressives, No Collaboration with Those Involved in the Blockades 

Ivica Dacic (BetaPhoto/Serbian Ministry of Interior)

Socialist Party of Serbia leader Ivica Dacic on Aug. 17 said that after the upcoming elections, his party would like to remain in the coalition with the Serbian Progressive Party, dismissing speculations that he has been distancing from the party former leader and Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic.

After stormy reactions in the pro-government media to Dacic’s earlier statement that his party will run independently in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, the Socialists’ leader said that all 500 party members who had attended the Socialists Steering Committee meeting in July voted to remain in the coalition with the Progressives. 

Atop the decisions to run independently in the forthcoming elections and stay in the coalition with the Progressives, the present party members also made another unanimous decision - there can be no post-election talks or cooperation with the student movement or opposition parties, nor any support to them, Dacic added.

“Running in elections is one thing, the way we have always done (independently), another issue is our decision to remain in the coalition with the Progressives and continue talks after the elections, and the third decision is that there can be no cooperation with those involved in the blockades or support to them. And whoever does that, acts against the Socialists’ policies and interests,” Dacic told reporters.

Commenting on his party high-ranking official Branko Ruzic’s statement on Aug. 17 that the decision to run independently in the elections is “a good first step,” Dacic said that Ruzic cannot represent the party’s position and was not present at the party Steering Committee meeting in July, which was why all decisions were made unanimously.

Some pro-government media have used Dacic’s statement that the Socialists will run independently in the upcoming elections to attack the Socialists’ leader. These media outlets claim that Dacic has started distancing himself from Vucic, while noting that the Socialist Party of Serbia will switch sides after the elections.