Vucic to Lead Parliamentary Group, Announces SNS Changes

Aleksandar Vucic, head of the United Serbia list, said in public for the first time that he has been chosen to lead the parliamentary group in the new National Assembly. He made the statement on Saturday evening, November 14, on the National Journal on TV Pink, three days before the inaugural session scheduled for Tuesday, November 17. He also announced that the SNS will see, in his words, “a tremendous amount of change”.

In the snap parliamentary elections on October 25, the Student List won 140 of the 250 seats, the United Serbia list won 103, and the remaining seven went to minority parties.

What will the parliamentary group be called?

There is no answer yet. Vucic said the choice is between United Serbia, Serbia Against Terror and a third name, and that the decision will be known on Monday, November 16, or on Tuesday morning. According to a transcript published by Glas Srpske, the group leader was chosen at a session of the parliamentary group.

He was cautious about his own role:

“But I will be there and be the leader of the parliamentary group for at least some time. Whether I can hold out longer or not, I will be the leader of the parliamentary group for some time.”

He described how the group will conduct itself in parliament:

“In the Assembly we will not throw firecrackers, we will not target anyone, we will behave with dignity, but we will fight hard for Serbia and for our political positions.”

Who will run for Assembly speaker?

Vucic said his list is proposing Professor Stojan Radenovic as its candidate for speaker of the National Assembly. He claims Radenovic “has more scientific papers than all 249 of us together in the National Assembly”. For the Student List candidate he named a Ms. Scepanovic, “a high school teacher”, adding “if I am not mistaken”, from the Philological Gymnasium. We found no official confirmation that she is their candidate.

According to Vucic, the other side rejected a deal on the deputy speaker posts: “They rejected the deal.” In the sources we read, the Student List has not responded to this.

For the day the Assembly is constituted, Vucic expects opponents to bring people to the gallery, and he assessed it this way:

“I expect they will stage a circus by bringing people to the gallery, as they have already announced, nothing unusual. Every arrogant government always does that at the start.”

What does Vucic announce for the SNS?

Changes in the party took up the most time in the interview. Vucic announced younger and professional people, an end to decisions made on the orders of coordinators, and an assessment of the work the membership has done so far:

“It will no longer be a matter of obligation, the way the coordinators or anyone else say.”

On the membership, he said:

“Some worked well, most worked badly.”

He then added:

“Many were busy with business. Those who were not will have their place.”

On bringing in new people, he said:

“We will involve those people as much as possible, to change the blood.”

He also announced the expansion of a large popular front against what he called terror and dictatorship, and said that the fact RTS did not invite him would be one of the reasons for the first big protests. He did not say who would take part in that front.

What did he say about the future government?

Vucic said it is not yet known who will be prime minister or when the government will be formed. He mentioned information that Branko Milutinovic, co-founder of the company Nordeus, is being considered as a possible prime minister, and expressed doubt that it will come to that. Neither the Student List nor Milutinovic has responded to this statement, at least not in the sources we found.

Sources describe Vucic differently. Danas lists him as head of the United Serbia list, former SNS president and former head of state, while Glas Srpske calls him the leader of the opposition. The first verifiable step is the choice of the group’s name on Monday or Tuesday morning, before the November 17 session.