Decision Ivice Dacic that the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) will participate in the upcoming elections "independently", i.e. that he will not be on the coalition list led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), caused unusually stormy reactions. Especially since the socialists have not changed their electoral strategy.
In the media close to the government, it almost immediately took on a much more serious meaning: Dacic began to present himself as a politician who is moving away from Aleksandar Vučić, while the SPS is more and more openly described as a possible "Trojan horse of the blockade opposition".
The informer writes that Dacic's move is connected with Branko Ruzic and his views on student blockades. In the text of that tabloid, Dacic's decision was not only presented as an attempt by the SPS to preserve its own political position by acting independently, but as a possible part of a broader political plan in which the socialists could serve as a "Trojan horse" for the blockaders.
Photo: PrintscreenInformer about Dačić
Dacic is thus turning from a party leader who is trying to stand for election on his own into a politician who allegedly opens the door to opponents of the government.
Branko Ružić gets a special place in that construction, and his earlier statements about students and blockades are brought to the fore in order to present the SPS course change as something much deeper than pre-election tactics.
And Politika writes about the possible new course of the SPS, through a headline that connects Dačić and Ružić with the "turning of the course" of the party and the "open door" for the blockaders. The text refers to Dacic's decision to run on his own, as well as to Ružić's position that SPS should be ready for talks with all political entities after the elections.
The policy states that there is no confirmation that the SPS is negotiating a coalition with the "blockaders".
Photo: PrintskrinPolitics about Dačić
So, for now, there is a decision to go to the elections independently and an announcement that the party does not want to close the door for talks after the elections in advance, but there is no confirmed agreement with the opposition.
The SPS did not announce that it was switching to the opposition, and Dacic did not announce that he was terminating political cooperation with Vucic, so the question is how much Dacic can really be trusted to change sides.
Dacic did not announce an alliance with the student list or with any other opposition group, but nevertheless, in the tabloid narrative, SPS's independent departure has already become a sign of political betrayal.
From "we will not go to the elections together" we get to "Dacic betrays Vucic", and then to a much more serious construction: the SPS could be a "Trojan horse" through which the blocking opposition could allegedly come to power.
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