Brnabic to opposition: 'We are defending Serbia from you, blockaders, not the other way round'
The Serbian National Assembly speaker sharply pushed back against the opposition during the electoral law debate, calling blockades of faculties and streets an illegitimate political tool.
- Ana Brnabic sharply pushed back at the opposition during the Assembly's electoral law debate.
- The Speaker called blockades of faculties and streets an illegitimate political tool.
- Brnabic accused the opposition of attacking institutions under the cover of protest.
- The opposition replied that the message shows a breakdown in parliamentary dialogue.
Ana Brnabic, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, sharply pushed back against the opposition during the debate on amendments to the electoral laws with the line, “we are defending Serbia from you, blockaders, not the other way round”. The remark followed a series of interventions in which opposition MPs called for the debate to be paused and a session held on the Veselin Milic case.
Brnabic told the chamber that blockading faculties, streets and institutions is contrary to the constitutional order and that such pressure on the government cannot be accepted as a legitimate political tool. The opposition rejected the line as a vindictive turn by the Speaker.
Why the clash erupted
The clash in the chamber broke out after the opposition proposed pausing the electoral law debate following the arrest of the former chief of the Belgrade Police Directorate. The Speaker refused, drawing criticism from opposition caucuses for “devaluing parliamentary scrutiny”.
MPs from the ruling majority say Brnabic also signalled that Bratislav Gasic, the Interior Minister in the previous government, and Ivica Dacic would not be dismissed on the strength of opposition demands outside regular accountability procedures.
Contested phrases
During the agenda, the Speaker intervened repeatedly in opposition MPs’ speeches. Among the phrases that drew reactions across the chamber were:
- “We are defending Serbia from you, blockaders, not the other way round”
- “What you are doing is not politics, it is institutional sabotage”
- “If you cannot tell a protest from a blockade, you cannot tell opposition from government either”
The Speaker has no right to insult MPs subject to parliamentary scrutiny, nor to prejudge with what intent any MP sits in the Assembly, and these phrases breach the duty of neutrality, reads a joint statement by opposition caucuses.
Opposition response
Marinika Tepic, MP for the Freedom and Justice Party, said the message shows “a breakdown in parliamentary dialogue” and that the Speaker had crossed the line set by the rules of procedure.
Radomir Lazovic, MP for the Green-Left Front, raised the suspicion that the Speaker was preparing the ground to shut down further opposition interventions in the electoral law debate. Borko Stefanovic said the message reveals “nervousness in the government” before the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Political context of the remark
The session resumed after the one-hour break. The vote on the electoral laws was set for 3 p.m., formally closing the debate on that part of the agenda.
Brnabic softened her tone in later interventions, saying the message was not aimed at individuals but at what she called “institutional sabotage” of electoral reform.
Will the tone of the session carry consequences for parliamentary dialogue before the elections?
