Pikes in the progressive pool: Prigogine's march of the mayor of Belgrade

Will Goran Vesić celebrate soon? And all that with champagne, confetti, colorful lights and dancing girls? Namely, his arch-friend Aleksandar Šapić is the actor of the developing scandal, unrecorded in the annals of the Serbian Progressive Party. And there is nothing there.

What's the matter? The current mayor of Belgrade announces his re-candidacy in the next city elections. He also says that he is counting on Dveri, Zavetnike, POKS, New DSS, and by God also on the radicals. He does not mention progressives - perhaps he means them? So, the political ice is thin, but it is not breaking through yet.

Something else corresponds to Prigozhin's march on Moscow. And that is that Šapić does not refer to Aleksandar Vučić with a single word. In short: zero points for the president of the country from thanksgiving, praise, swearing and other mandatory elements of every progressive address.

Apart from that, Šapić also kicks the ball, asking for direct elections for the mayor of Belgrade. Translated into Serbian: you will vote exclusively for me, and not for Vučić, the previous SNS candidate in all elections - both for the local community of Rtari and for the National Assembly. The last similar self-candidacy was that of Tom Nikolić. We also know what happened afterwards - not even his own son supported the SNS Presidency of the founder of the party.

In this context, Vesić can put champagne in a bucket of ice. Maybe you shouldn't take it out soon, or rent a space for a party. Why?

It's no secret that under Šapić's watch, the progressives together with the socialists are not doing well in Belgrade. But if until recently the mayor was forced to shut down due to the results on the scoreboard and the drowning of the leader of his own party, now, in extortion, it might serve for combinations under the surface of the water in a pool full of pike.

Concretely: acting independently, Šapić could formally introduce the right-wing parties into the ruling majority. But that opens up another kind of problem.

With his statement, Šapić announced a new phase of deepening divisions and isolation within the SNS. Vučić is therefore faced with a choice - either the legitimization of the dilution of the party for the sake of the uncertain patchwork of the government in Belgrade, or the struggle to preserve its previous monolith. Only if he chooses the latter, Vesic's party can begin.

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