Vucic Promises End of Politics at Universities, FDU Denies

The deanery of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) said in a statement on October 8 that it rejects Aleksandar Vucic’s claim that the faculty is making a campaign spot for the Student List. Vucic, who heads the Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia list, made the claim on the evening of October 7 on the Kolegijum show on Informer television, in an appearance where he called ending politics at universities and schools the most important promise of his campaign. Former FDU dean Milos Pavlovic also responded to the remark.

What did Vucic promise for universities and schools?

Vucic phrased the promise this way: “My most important promise in this campaign, and I guarantee it, is that I will end politics at universities and schools.” He added that he guarantees it with his life.

He also announced that there will be no graffiti at state universities and schools. “There will not be a single piece of graffiti at universities and schools, and right now there are thousands and thousands of them,” he said. He also said he would present his full program “two, three days after that,” adding that the story with schools and universities would be finished too. The reported part of the statement does not make clear from what moment he counts those days.

Sources differ over one word in the claim about FDU. Nova.rs and Euronews Srbija report that Vucic said FDU is making a spot, while Kurir records his words in the past tense: “FDU made a Student List spot tonight, and that is unconstitutional.”

According to Nova.rs and Euronews Srbija, he also said the faculty is acting unconstitutionally and that this is not permitted anywhere in the world. He continued:

“That is unconstitutional conduct in the Republic of Serbia. The Constitution and the laws will be respected in this country. I do not take revenge on anyone. Had I taken revenge, everything in this country would have been different. But I have not taken revenge and I never do.”

Nova.rs described his message as an announcement of revenge against the faculties. Vucic rejected that on the show and added:

“That is the Constitution. What follows is respect for the Constitution and the laws. I am mature, responsible and serious enough that I have no need for revenge. But I do need the Constitution, like holy scripture. The problem is that you trampled on the Constitution, that you tore it down in the most terrible way possible. Both the Constitution and the laws. And what FDU did is directly unconstitutional. There is no place for graffiti for the Student List, for the SNS, for the SPS, NSS, MSS and others, and there will be none at the faculty and none in the schools.”

What did the FDU deanery say about the spot claim?

The deanery said FDU has nothing whatsoever to do with producing any spot as part of the ongoing political campaign. It cited Article 43, paragraph 10 of the Law on Higher Education, which bans political, party and religious organizing and activity at a higher education institution. It then recalled Article 46 of the Serbian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought and expression:

“FDU strictly respects this provision, as well as all other constitutional and legal norms, and we believe that other legal entities and individuals in our society have the same obligation. Since we are speaking of respect for the Constitution, we want to recall Article 46, which guarantees freedom of thought and expression. In that regard, citizens of the Republic of Serbia have the right to seek, receive and spread information and ideas by speech, writing, images or in any other way. Our students have that right too, as citizens, and they exercise their activity in the political sphere, if they wish, outside the Faculty’s premises and in their free time.”

The deanery judged it inappropriate and shameless to make such claims about the faculty’s political involvement in the campaign, for cheap political points and at the expense of an institution with almost 80 years of tradition in higher education.

What does former dean Milos Pavlovic say?

Pavlovic told Nova.rs that Vucic does not distinguish the faculty as an institution from FDU in blockade, which is made up of an independent group of students. In his words:

“Those students use neither the faculty’s space nor its resources. The former president should know that FDU consists of teachers, professors and students, and that nothing is being used in the campaign.”

Asked whether he expects more pressure on FDU, Pavlovic replied: “As someone who worked at that faculty, I think the pressure on FDU will certainly grow. I repeat that the students are acting outside it, without using the faculty’s resources. If the students had been doing that so far, we would already have the police, the Anti-Corruption Agency, etc… Since the students are not doing that, all that remains is to spin and deceive the public.”

What else was said in the same appearance?

We have already reported on the makeup of the future government from the same appearance: Vucic said that of the current 31 ministers, three to five would remain. Speaking about the election result, he said he would be fully satisfied with more than 50 percent of valid votes and partly satisfied with 47 percent. Asked about the presidential election, he answered “My head is on the line in the parliamentary elections,” and named October 25 as the decisive day.