Vučić’s Marketing to the West and the Presidential Elections – Politics

The decision to have “close to 50 percent women” in government will certainly be welcomed in the European Union, the United States and liberal circles in many countries.

Photo: FoNet / Government of Serbia Slobodan Miljevic

So far, women have proven to be more loyal to Vučić, we only remember the “defense of women” of the City Assembly, and women were also elected mayors of Užice and Trstenik after the June elections …

In addition, public opinion polls have shown that women constitute more than 50 percent of the electorate, so Vucic will try to use that fact as much as he can in his campaign for the next presidential elections, representatives of diplomatic circles unofficially declared, commenting the reasons for which the President of Serbia and the SNS leader decided to propose such a “quota” to Prime Minister-designate Ana Brnabić in the new executive branch.

Interlocutors from our newspaper who fight for women’s rights and some opposition politicians mostly interpret the aforementioned Vučić movement as “marketing”, although they point out that it is necessary to achieve all kinds of equality in our society.

Jovanka Todorovic, coordinator of the Goethe organization, says that “as a human rights activist, I welcome every step towards equality and equal opportunities for the participation of the underrepresented sex in all areas of society, especially in the performance of important public functions “.

– But, on the other hand, I doubt that this proposal by President Aleksandar Vučić will lead to a substantial change in the policy that has a decision-making center, which is compliant and aims to make profit at the expense of the public interest of citizens. I am afraid that this is one of a series of cosmetic changes that will comply with the form established by European regulations and that will appoint new people to the Government, this time women, but that the management system, which does not prioritize the welfare of citizens, will be will remain unchanged. she.

Todorović says that “Serbia certainly needs more participation of women in politics, but so that in decision-making positions, as well as in those places, they can be independent, without instructing every step, not even the smallest, until that we achieve it, there is no talk of real equality “.

“I consider important the president’s proposal for the implementation of the Ministry of Human Rights, Gender Equality and Social Dialogue. It is necessary to have a separate ministry that deals with these issues, because there are many challenges that must be solved ”, concludes our interlocutor.

Tanja Ignjatovic, representative of the Autonomous Center for Women, highlights that parity, that is, 50 percent of women in the executive and almost 40 percent in the legislature, is “something to be expected in the 21st century , because they are standards of treaties, constitutions and international laws that guarantee equality “. between women and men “.

– However, this decision is not based on the policy of the governing party that forms the government and has a large majority in parliament, neither formally nor in terms of content, so we could interpret it as “political marketing”. I have no expectations that a substantive and factual change will take place, that the future Law on Prohibition of Discrimination and the Law on Gender Equality will be better than the drafts pending approval. I believe even less that its application will generate benefits for many women, and not only for the political elite and will increase the index of gender equality. I am even afraid that this solution is a “mask” for the conservative, retrograde and anti-gender politics, which was registered in Serbia in the previous period, and which has its role models in some EU countries, Ignjatović points out.

Tatjana Macura, co-chair of the Modern Serbia Party, notes that the Labor Ministry announced in September that the next convocation of the National Assembly “will be one of the first laws to pass the Gender Equality Law, which, among other things, addresses the issue of the participation of women in executive positions “. In this sense, it could be concluded that Vučić made such a schedule that it will be easy to present herself as a person who, once again, is one step ahead of her time. “

– Just as the population policy was transformed into a campaign that came to an end with the slogan “For our children” in previous elections, in the next period we will continue the campaign for gender equality and equal representation of women in the executive power. When we take all this into account, it is reasonable to expect that this campaign will be just an introduction to the presidential election campaign in which Vučić could support a candidate for this position, and that he will take on another role with more executive power. Certainly, I have no doubt that they will benefit from this suggestion made to Ana Brnabić. While the opposition clearly sends signals that women are undesirable, which can be seen in a series of current events left behind, the SNS uses the “empty field” for this issue with great skill, concludes Matsura.

Raskovic Ivic: Chosen for obedience

Sanda Raskovic Ivic, vice president of the Popular Party, believes that Vucic’s recommendation that 50 percent of government departments have women is not a reflection of his genuine faith in the capacity and integrity of women.

“It’s political marketing and ‘laundering’, both from his autographs from the autocrat, and from the fact that there is no opposition in the Assembly. The story of the gay prime minister and 50 percent of the women in government is intended solely for the image of the West. For internal use, these women will be selected exclusively on the basis of obedience and not ability, “says Raskovic Ivic.

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