Jeremic: If We Persevere in Boycotting False Election, We'll Win a Proper One

Vuk Jeremic People's Party (Beta/Dragan Gojic)

Vuk Jeremic, the People's Party leader, who is also co-chairing the opposition Alliance for Serbia, said on Dec. 9 that 2020 would be a watershed year, and if the opposition maintained a decision to boycott the next polls, we would probably have them twice in 2020 - "a false election next spring, and a proper one next winter, when the authorities will be defeated."

"I expect strong pressures in the next few weeks to reverse a decision to boycott false polls next spring. If we don't dither and remain firm, new circumstances will be created, making it clear that the regime has lost its legitimacy. The new situation at home and abroad will be such that there will be no alternative to a genuine vote," Jeremic said in Novi Sad, celebrating the first anniversary of the party's city committee.

Jeremic, a former Serbian foreign minister, said he expected an announcement to be made soon that a good number of requirements for a fair vote had been met, as a couple of laws might have been passed and a member of the electronic media authority (REM) replaced. I also expect opposition leaders to start getting invitations for televised interviews by nationwide networks.

"Then our EU partners, most of whom are well intentioned, will tell us to think about taking part in the elections after all, because we can't fight outside institutions if we want to build a democracy. It will be highly suggestive, and it won't be easy to resist. Yet the People's Party is in no doubt, and it will certainly boycott the next elections. I'm confident our partners in the Alliance for Serbia will do the same," Jeremic said.