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One of the biggest unknowns regarding the new government, in what format the Socialist Party of Serbia will participate in the political scene, was finally resolved yesterday. They obtained a department, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, as well as the ministry without portfolio and the position of president of the Assembly of Serbia. With the new redistribution of cards, the position of the socialists has been significantly weakened, and it seems that the leader of the progressives, Aleksandar Vučić, meant that the SPS is no longer the only and most desirable coalition partner, the interlocutors of the Blic.
In the government that is counting the last days, the SPS had four strong departments (Foreign Relations, Energy, State Administration and Local Self-Government and Environmental Protection) from which it drew influence, as well as the position of minister without portfolio.
A few days earlier, although it was still unclear who the new ministers were, it was announced that SPS leader Ivica Dacic would move from executive to legislative and would be the new speaker of the Serbian parliament instead of in government. This was met with mixed reactions, with some already interpreting that the SPS was actually sidelined and that Dacic, in a way, had a protocol function. Dacic denied it on several occasions, highlighting the importance of the role and that it came from the agreement with Vucic.
– I did not get to that position to be the formal president of the parliament, which is the second function in the country because the Assembly of Serbia elects the Government and controls the Government. Those who think that it is a formal function, think the worst of parliament, that it was bothered by someone from the left, and that is a picture that we should not allow – said Dacic.
THE LOST CUBE
What does this and this type of government mean for the SPS? What change could it bring to them and what message did Vučić want to send to his coalition partner with this ticket distribution? Is Dacic right when he says that only “the villains believe that their new role is the result of problems in cooperation with the SNS” or is their relationship on glass legs? Or perhaps this distribution of departments is similar to the electoral results, in which the SNS obtained 60.65 percent and the SPS 10.38 percent of the votes?
Cesid executive director Bojan Klacar points out that the mosaic on the role of the SPS lacks another important cube, if the socialist Dusan Bajatovic will retain the position of director of “Srbijagas”, but he estimates that the position of the SPS is weaker than before.
– And they will be even weaker if they run out of that company. As things stand now, we can interpret the facts so far that Aleksandar Vučić’s intention is to diminish the political power of the SPS and let them know that with the arrival of the SPAS, they are no longer the only and most desirable coalition partner in the Government. . It would be good to wait and see if Bajatović remains in the same position in the final assessment, and if that does not happen, we can also talk about the important foreign policy message that Vučić is sending. And it is that the Russian influence in the executive power in Serbia has been significantly reduced, especially since Dacic no longer holds the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that the energy sector is no longer in the portfolio of SPS. It seems to me that we could incorporate the changes in the energy sector in direct connection with the signing of the Washington Accord, Klačar believes.
SHORT-TERM LOSS?
The difference in the departments that the Socialists will now run and which they led, Klačar adds, is significant, and he sees Dačić as Speaker of the Assembly as a short-term political loss.
– The difference of influence in the Government of then and now is enormous, especially since they were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Energy, State Administration and Local Autonomy and Environmental Protection. All these departments allowed a large number of international contacts, they meant a lot for relations with Russia and the state administration was very important for the conduct of the elections. The ecology department is also important, because it concerns relations with the EU. But, if anyone has the political talent and knowledge to make a political target, it is Dacic. The position of Speaker of Parliament is a position that leaves you room to deal with the party, go out on the field and engage in a dialogue that is given great importance before the next elections. Dacic, in combination with Veljko Odalovic, if he gets certain hands, he can lead the parliament in a dignified way, regardless of the fact that there is no opposition in it, and it seems to me that he will be more ready to understand the needs of the political minority – notes Klacar .
It also points to another moment, related to future elections, but also to events within the SPS itself.
– In the long term, it may also mean that this coalition, despite everything, was not questioned until the 2022 elections. And it is possible that Dacic’s departure from the executive side to the legislature could be an indication of changes within the SPS itself . The permanence of Branko Ružić in the government, especially if he obtains the post of deputy prime minister, may open the possibility of a new redistribution of political power within the SPS, concludes Klačar.
TWO CORNERS
The executive director of the agency “Factor Plus”, Predrag Lacmanović, says that the SPS received points in the new government according to the points won at the polls, but believes that it was easier for them to accept this more modest offer, because the new government is on time.
– We can see this division of responsibilities from two angles. First, the SNS obtained a dominant majority in the elections relative to other parties, and it appears that the appetite of the SNS members is great relative to the partners. No matter how much Vučić is number one in his party, it is clear that he also has obligations to them, so the position of the SPS can be interpreted in that sense. Also, this is a term government, and the SPS probably more easily swallowed this modest offer because who knows what will happen after the election? If they prove to be loyal and strong enough after the elections, they can be rewarded with better positions, Lacmanović notes.
In the elections held on June 21, the electoral list “Aleksandar Vučić – For our children” obtained 1,953,998 votes, or 60.65 percent of the number of voters who voted. The list “Ivica Dacic – SPS, United Serbia – Dragan Markovic Palma” obtained 334,333 votes, or 10.38 percent of the number of voters who voted. The list “Aleksandar Šapić – Victory for Serbia” obtained 123,393 votes, or 3.83 percent of the number of voters who voted. 6,584,376 voters registered on the voter list had the right to vote and 3,221,908 voters (48.93 percent) exercised their right to vote at 8,433 voting centers.
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