Vucic Promises Krajina Serbs Housing Fix by March
At the Krajina Serbs Gathering in Kovilovo, the lead candidate of the Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia list pledged to settle the housing problem of people who got part of their funds from the EU.
Aleksandar Vucic, the lead candidate of the Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia list, promised on October 17 at the “Krajina Serbs Gathering” in Kovilovo that within six months, by the end of March at the latest, he will resolve the housing problem of people who received part of the money for an apartment from the EU. Eight days remain until the October 25 election.
What Did He Promise the Krajina Serbs?
The pledge covers those for whom the European funds were not enough. Vucic told the crowd he had made the same promise two years ago, and according to Republika, this is how he put it:
Two years ago I said we would solve the housing problem for the people who received funds from the EU, but they still had to pay the difference. Within 6 months I will solve it, it will be done by the end of March, either free of charge, or they will pay something minimal.
So the apartment would be free or come with a minimal payment. How many people are affected and how it would be carried out does not appear in the available transcripts of the speech.
In the same address Vucic mentioned the regions the Krajina Serbs came from. “I recalled with nostalgia every place I used to visit, all of Banija, Kordun, Lika, Western Slavonia,” he said. He also thanked them for their support: “So I thank you endlessly for guarding Serbia these past two years when it was under attack.”
His Message on Kosovo, Sanctions and Vojvodina
The second part of the speech was political. Vucic said Serbia is under attack from outside and from within, and that those who once tore the Serb people apart now want to tear Serbia apart. In his words, it is not enough for them that they want Kosovo recognized and sanctions imposed on Russia, they also want a separatist movement in Vojvodina. He did not name the people he had in mind, at least not in the reports we read.
Tanjug quotes his answer:
My answer to all of them is this: you can receive as much money as you like, I will not fawn over you, but as long as I breathe, I will oppose you, fight you and defeat you. And we will protect Serbia, because we have nothing more important, dearer or more beautiful than Serbia. We are going to beat them convincingly, on October 25.
He then described how he waits for election results. According to Tanjug, he first asks for figures from the polling stations where Krajina Serbs vote, and he knows they delivered a higher share of votes there than usual. The two agencies record his words differently: Tanjug has “Give me a bit more of Busije, a bit more of Palanka,” while Republika has “Give me Busije, give me Palanka.”
The Welcome, the Stalls and the Question About Driving
When he arrived, the crowd greeted him with the songs “Ruzmarin” and “A Serbian Mother Gave Birth to Me” and with chants of “Victory!”, Tanjug reports. Republika notes that he then climbed onto the stage but could not speak because of chants of “Aco, our Serb.” To young SNS activists he said: “Let us fight to the end and defeat them.”
After the speech he toured the stalls. War veterans handed him gifts and offered him brandy, one told him “You are our brother,” and he arm-wrestled with one Krajina Serb. A woman told him: “We want you to win. If you do not win, we can go straight back to Krajina.”
A reporter also asked how he travels around Serbia. According to Tanjug, the question was how he feels since leaving the presidency, while according to Republika it concerned touring the country by Skoda. The answer is the same in meaning in both reports. Tanjug carries it like this:
I have grown unused to driving, to everything, and now I cannot talk on the phone and drive carefully at the same time. When someone else drives you, you can take care of business by phone, but this way there is none of that.
Republika adds one more sentence from him: “I am the same as everyone else, there is no privilege whatsoever.”
Kovilovo After Lazarevac, Sabac and Novi Sad
The Kovilovo visit continues a run of appearances where we have tracked what Vucic promises. In Sabac he promised a new hospital, sewage system and roads, while to the Krajina Serbs he offered a fix for one concrete problem, with a deadline he set himself: the end of March.
