Macut: Life Must Go On Normally After Oct. 25 Election

Serbia’s caretaker Prime Minister, Prof. Dr. Djuro Macut, said on October 21, during a guest appearance on K1 television, that nothing may happen on the day of the October 25 snap parliamentary election, or after it, that would disturb order and peace in the country. The government published his remarks the same day on its website, in a news item datelined Belgrade.

What did Macut say about the day after the election?

The prime minister spoke about the moment when the voting ends. In his words, the country has to keep working and living as it has until now:

“We have to live through October 26 as well, and go on working and living normally. I think it would be a completely wrong perception to believe the matter needs to be settled by attempting some kind of coup or anything of the sort.”

Macut added that public security measures are ready in case of incidents or disorder on election day itself or after it. He also said he is glad that Serbia, despite protests that have gone on for two years, has reached the election in a calm atmosphere.

What was his message to the Student List?

The Student List is running in a parliamentary election for the first time. Macut said it matters for the list to show that it can carry out the electoral process, let the day end and wait for the results. He said the list comes with a great capacity for declarative democracy, and then added:

“They declare that they have that, and they are exceptionally against everything: violence, for a culture of speech, for keeping up communication… I think it would be a big mistake if they tried to approach anything that is not in line with the norms of democracy. So, their conduct in the other sense, like anyone’s conduct, if we are talking about some real democratic elections, would be a serious failure for those who would not accept it.”

The Student List’s reaction to these words was not part of the published material.

How does Macut describe the start of the protests?

The prime minister said the state did not react to the protests until last summer, when, as he put it, violence began on the streets and grew into anarchy. He described the origins of the movement this way:

“We had that one part of the youngest population that had already, in some way, been drawn into that story. It is the story that everything started from high school, from the gymnasiums, and went up to the universities. Of course, the faculties and universities did start somewhere, but it spilled over to various groups, and then we arrived at a completely ultra-left movement.”

By Macut’s account, then, the movement began in high schools and gymnasiums, spread to faculties and universities, and then to other groups.

The snap parliamentary election takes place on October 25, and the government published Macut’s remarks on order and peace the same day in an official news item on its website.