Zukorlic Promises to Rebuild Novi Pazar's Old Bazaar
SPP and SDA Sandzak held closing rallies in Novi Pazar four days before the vote. Zukorlic listed his promises, while Ugljanin spoke about his party's program.
The Justice and Reconciliation Party (SPP) and the SDA Sandzak list closed their election campaigns in Novi Pazar. Both held final rallies this evening, October 21, four days before the parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday, October 25.
SPP president Usame Zukorlic told supporters what the party, in his words, has done in Sandzak over the past four years, then opened a list of new promises. SDA Sandzak president Sulejman Ugljanin spoke about his party’s program and its strength, but in the part of the speech that was broadcast he did not list individual measures.
What did Zukorlic promise Novi Pazar?
Zukorlic cited 120 kilometers of paved roads, a sports complex in Prijepolje and 110 young people hired by the police as his party’s results. The figures come from the speaker himself. He then said that this was not enough and moved on to plans for the city where the rally was held.
“But we are not satisfied with that, we want 10 times more. We want to rebuild the Old Bazaar [in Novi Pazar], to make it longer and more beautiful than Bascarsija. We want Novi Pazar, a city of trade, to get a Trade Center, and, as the second largest Bosniak city in the world, a Bosniak Cultural Center. The united Islamic Community deserves our support, so that we can build the largest Islamic Center, which will bear the name of Academician Muamer Zukorlic.”
Zukorlic thus announced the reconstruction of the Old Bazaar, a trade center, a Bosniak Cultural Center and an Islamic center that would carry the name of Academician Muamer Zukorlic, with the backing of the united Islamic Community.
Zukorlic said SPP is the “only party” that brings together Bosniaks, Serbs and Albanians, and that it will fight to unite all national communities in Serbia. He urged those who want fewer divisions and more roads, municipal infrastructure, jobs, faster construction of the highway and more investment in Sandzak to vote for his list, “Usame Zukorlic, Movement for Unification”, which is sixth on the ballot.
What did Ugljanin say?
At the closing rally of the “SDA Sandzak, Guardians of Sandzak” list, Ugljanin said his party is “stronger than ever” and “currently the strongest Bosniak party” in the country. He told supporters that a “great success” lies ahead and that they are “going for the win”.
He described the party’s program this way: “Our program is the cure for a sick society.” He summed up his vision in a single sentence: “Our vision is a happy family, a satisfied people, a strong state,” Ugljanin said.
He added that SDA will enter government with a clear program, identity, principles and a commitment to turn voters’ trust into concrete results. He urged the crowd not to let themselves be confused by promises and slogans, and to keep in mind that “what we live today is the result of decisions made earlier”.
What comes after the final rallies?
Voters in Serbia go to the polls on Sunday, October 25, and Zukorlic’s list is number six on the ballot.
