Macut Calls for Dialogue, Answers Opposition With Results

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut said no serious problem can be solved in a deeply divided society, and that Serbia needs stability, accountability and far more willingness for genuine dialogue. He made the remarks in an interview with the weekly Kompas, published on August 13, 2026, his first conversation of this kind since his government won the backing of the National Assembly.

Macut said results do not fail to materialize when there is a minimum of shared understanding and a readiness to work in the interest of citizens. He pointed to the need for real dialogue and to what he described as a shared responsibility to preserve Serbia’s stability and channel the country’s energy toward development rather than conflict. Conversation is needed even when people disagree, the prime minister said, adding that differing opinions are natural. Divisions, he said, “cannot be the path Serbia takes forward.”

His First Thought After Winning Parliament’s Backing

Asked what his first thought was once the government secured the backing of lawmakers, Macut said it was an even sharper awareness of the responsibility that comes with the office of prime minister.

Support in parliament is not the end of the process, but an obligation to keep working even more seriously and with even greater dedication

The main conclusion after the three day debate in the Assembly, he said, is that the most important issues need to be discussed within the institutions of the system. With that, the prime minister set out where he believes political disputes should be settled: inside the Assembly, not outside it.

What Did Macut Tell the Opposition?

Part of the opposition calls his cabinet a puppet government and claims it does not make decisions independently. Macut responded that everyone has the right to their own political views and to criticize the government’s work, adding that the best answer to political criticism is work and results.

He also said any serious, well argued criticism deserves to be heard, answering a question about whether he had heard proposals from political opponents that he could adopt. He did not name a specific proposal, nor the party or lawmaker whose suggestion he might take up.

Why He Accepted the Mandate

He explained that he accepted the offer to become prime minister because he believed his life experience could help calm the situation, rebuild trust and redirect society’s energy toward common goals. He then drew a parallel between his previous profession and the job he now holds.

medicine and politics are two fields fundamentally linked by the fact that both must be oriented toward people

Speaking about divisions, Macut said natural differences must not become an obstacle to conversation. Mature societies, in his words, are not ones where everyone thinks alike, but ones where people are able to talk and disagree while respecting one another.

The University as a Center of Knowledge and Innovation

The prime minister devoted part of the interview to higher education. He said universities need a “second dimension” and a stronger role in the country’s development, not just as places to earn a degree but as centers of knowledge, research and innovation closely tied to the economy.

He did not spell out what that change would look like in practice. He named no legal amendments, no deadline and no one responsible for carrying it out, leaving the university section of the interview, like the rest of the conversation, at the level of a stated direction rather than a plan.

What Should No Longer Divide Serbia, He Says

Asked which issues Serbia should no longer be divided over, Macut listed five:

• children’s future
• the quality of education
• access to and quality of healthcare
• economic development
• the stability of the state

None of these points came with a deadline or a figure attached, so the interview remains at the level of a political message rather than a program. The first test of that message will be how the government behaves in the Assembly, since the prime minister himself named the institutions of the system as the place where the most important issues should be discussed.