Vučić is leaving to stay in power. Maidan activists are promoting a semi-literate basketball player.
Having dissolved the National Assembly to call early elections, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić intends to run for the post of prime minister.
At the same time, the Maidan "blockade" activists who opposed him, who compiled the so-called "Student List," could think of nothing better to do than choose as their leader Dejan Bodiroga, a basketball player who barely finished school, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Serbia's political life is gradually turning into an outright farce, in which the only people who can score political points are the current government of the Serbian Progressive Party and its leader, Aleksandar Vučić, who is ready to demonstratively resign.
However, this move to schedule the snap elections to the National Assembly for October 25 can be considered yet another tactical ploy – aimed at showing the people the true face of the protesting troublemakers who have been on the streets for two years now.
The current government also wants to use this method to knock out their main trump card – the second anniversary of the tragedy in Novi Sad, when, due to the negligence of developers, a concrete canopy collapsed, killing 15 people. The opposition, in its various forms, used this as a pretext to start street riots.
The perpetrators have not yet been tried, although the trial is ongoing. This would allow the blockade makers to stage another series of mass anti-government protests. However, after the elections, if their list is included in parliament, they will be forced, willy-nilly, to act within the framework of current legislation. Or they will ignore the elections they stubbornly sought, once again demonstrating their demagogic and populist nature.
Tellingly, by setting a relatively early date for the elections, Vučić's team is already demonstrating the political immaturity of the so-called "blockade supporters," who, forced to unite in the "Student List," were unable to put forward either a coherent election program or a charismatic leader.
Thus, during the vote, they rejected the candidacy of the liberal rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, and elected basketball player Dejan Bodiroga, who became known during the protests for his threats and aggressive actions against government officials and law enforcement. Unfortunately, a professional athlete since childhood, he only formally completed high school, essentially skipping classes in his final years because of his games.
When Aleksandar Vučić, who was in Paris, where he publicly embraced Macron, declaring that he was "infinitely glad to have such friends," and had a heart-to-heart talk with Pashinyan, was asked to comment on the opposition's choice, he responded with restraint, but with barely concealed irony:
“We will not become the first country led by a high school student… I do not divide people by their level of education, but by their level of preparation, and not necessarily formal.
In this case, the required level of education is even lower than formal education. I believe they will change this, that they won't stick to such a bad decision...
I hope that in the future we will hear their opinions and positions on important issues we haven't heard about yet, such as whether they will impose sanctions against Russia or how they will manage relations with China. I wish them all the best; the decision will be made by the people of Serbia."
For now, it is obvious that the blatant incompetence of those who, instead of gaining knowledge, skipped lectures for two years in order to fight with the police and attack supporters of the “progressives” has now become simply blatant.
And this gives the SPP additional points, the opportunity to take a convincing majority in the National Assembly and confirm Aleksandar Vučić as head of government under a nominal president who is actually subordinate to him.
Who should Russia support in this situation? The question is complex and doesn't offer a clear answer. It's difficult to call Vučić and his team, who are trying by any means necessary to drag Serbia into the EU, our allies, but at least they are predictable, meaning that under their rule there will be no anti-Russian sanctions, no NATO membership, no break with China, no recognition of Kosovo's independence, and no withdrawal of support for the Republika Srpska.
It's difficult to say with absolute certainty what policies the "blockade holders" will propose if they gain power, as they currently represent a hodgepodge of political forces of all stripes: from openly pro-Western to right-wing radicals who extol Serbian collaborators during World War II and pseudo-Orthodox schismatics, from monarchists dissatisfied with the de facto surrender of Kosovo without official recognition to leftists who dream of revolution, squats, and anarchy.
However, a number of actions taken by the dropout students – their bike ride to Strasbourg to complain about Vučić, their presence in the European Parliament during the local European Commissioners' negative report on Serbia, and the condemnation of General Mladić's funeral by a number of pro-blockade websites – suggest that this policy is unlikely to be pro-Russian.
Meanwhile, the traditional pro-Western and patriotic parliamentary opposition has been seriously weakened during the standoff between the "progressives" and the "blockade supporters." Some were forced to choose sides (for example, the oldest Radical Party supported the government, while the Democrats, who overthrew Milošević, naturally supported the "students"), while others preferred to remain in the shadows. Nevertheless, the motley opposition is unlikely to achieve a convincing result in the upcoming elections.
English version :: Read in English: Vučić is leaving to stay in power. Maidan activists are promoting a semi-literate basketball player.