- The president of the SPS and the holder of the "Ivica Dacic - Stability Factor" list said at a meeting in Leskovac on October 20 that the success of the SPS and its coalition is key to preserving the stability of Serbia, and called on citizens to vote for the list number two.
- He assessed that the opponents are again using messages similar to those from the time of October 5, 2000, which he called "the biggest fraud in the history of Serbia", and that they are trying to repeat it on October 25.
- Regarding the possible candidacy for the president of Serbia, he said that first it is necessary to achieve the best possible result in the parliamentary elections.
- Dacic did not name the political actors to which his evaluations refer.
What happened
Dacic said at a meeting in a restaurant that the SPS has always been a factor of stability, but that he wants every citizen to be "a factor that decides, that decided to influence the state's policy."
He assessed that political opponents are using the message that, if the government leaves, everything will be as it should be, as, as he says, was said on October 5: "the biggest fraud in the history of Serbia, and now they are trying to repeat that October 5 on October 25." He added that the biggest obstacle to that is precisely the electoral result of the Socialists, so he called: "So number two for the defense of Serbia."
He also told the citizens in Leskovac dialect: "Zare game is not known", with the explanation "Dacic game is not known".
He asked whether certain actors are fighting for Serbia or for personal interests, functions and money. He said that socialists must not betray their country, saying: "I am disgusted with those people. I'd rather be nothing than be a traitor to this country."
About the candidacy for the president of Serbia, he said that first it is necessary to achieve the best possible result in the parliamentary elections, and added: "And if I run with this half of my heart that is working, I will beat them all." He also recalled the period of socialism, factories, workplaces, free education and treatment, and mandatory military service, and assessed that the values of a just society are still important.
What is Dacic talking about?
In the federal, presidential and local elections on September 24, 2000, the Federal Election Commission announced that the candidate of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, Vojislav Koštunica, won 49 percent of the vote, i.e. 1 percent less than necessary, so a second round should have been held. DOS called it election theft and called on citizens to gather in front of the Federal Assembly on October 5, with an ultimatum that Slobodan Milošević should recognize the electoral will of the citizens by 15 p.m.
Kostunica said that the opposition cannot go to the second round, because that would be participating in the theft of votes. Citizens came to Belgrade from all over Serbia, and a group of demonstrators entered the parliament building through a window. Around 4:00 p.m., dozens of citizens entered the Federal Assembly, and the policemen withdrew, while in the evening, members of the police station in Majke Jevrosime Street joined the demonstrators.
Kostunica addressed the citizens in the evening, and Milošević conceded defeat on television on October 6. Kostunica was sworn in on October 7.
SPS was then Milosevic's party, and Dacic was its spokesperson. In this campaign, the SPS is a coalition with the JS, the SDPS and the Greens of Serbia, and according to surveys, it is close to the census: CRTA gives it 3,8 percent, and Faktor plus 4,9 percent, while officials, among them Branko Ružić, Boris Milićević and Ivan Đoković, have left the party.
What is important here?
Dacic compares the current campaign to October 5 and uses that to mobilize voters: he recalls the situation from the past when he suffered a defeat and promises a different scenario in these elections. For a party fighting for a three percent vote, each vote can decide whether it will have MPs.
Comparing a historical event to the current election is also part of a campaign where political messages are based on symbols from the past and personal interpretation of those symbols. It is important for voters to distinguish political judgments from the facts of what happened in 2000.
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