Photo: Jadranka Ilić/TanjugThe coalition gathered around the SSP, NS and DS is mostly in favor of boycotting the referendum on changes to the part of the Constitution related to judicial issues, although the term "boycott" is strictly avoided. Such a position is explained by the illegitimacy of the Assembly that announced it, the absence of a public discussion and numerous objections by lawyers.
The referendum on changes to the part of the Constitution that refers to the judiciary with the question "Are you in favor of confirming the Act on changing the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia?" was announced on November 30 last year and will be held on January 16. The answers offered are "yes" and "no".
The majority of citizens still do not understand what they are actually there for and what they are supposed to do. One part of the actors on the public stage is calling on voters to go to the referendum and vote "for", others to come out and vote "against", and still others are calling for a boycott.
After the Law on Referendum and People's Initiative was amended at the end of last year, the outcome of the referendum is decided by a simple majority, regardless of the turnout. That is why the expediency of the boycott is questionable.
The Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), the People's Party (NS) and the Democratic Party (DS), which form a coalition in the April elections, are against holding a referendum under these conditions.
The first to react was SSP vice-president Marinika Tepić, who wrote on Twitter that "that date was chosen to overshadow the anniversary of Oliver Ivanovic's murder."
The president of the SSP, Dragan Đilas, stated that that party does not recognize the legitimacy of this Assembly, "especially for such important decisions." He explained that to change the Constitution, a two-thirds majority in the parliament is first required, and that it is one-party, so that the decision was actually made at the party assembly of the Serbian Progressive Party, and that is why their supporters will call not to participate in it. He added that numerous people from the judiciary and non-governmental organizations have a large number of objections.
The message of the Democratic Party is the same, just worded a little differently. DS president Zoran Lutovac said that as soon as the referendum was announced, they said that "they will call the citizens to a protest, not to a referendum that was announced by an illegitimate one-party assembly."
He also said that this is not the way to change the highest legal act of the country and that therefore we should not deal with "a completely illegitimate process and a topic with which the citizens are not familiar, nor do they understand what it is about, nor do they understand the question that is being asked". but with Aleksandar Vučić and the political caste that surrounds him, that is, with the causes and not the consequences of "his disastrous policy."
The DS repeats that the "real referendum" will be held on April 3, when citizens will be able to vote for or against the "SNS mafia".
With the third partner, the so-called Different views could be heard from the "November coalition". The head of the People's Party, Vuk Jeremić, emphasizes that he will not participate in the referendum.
The vice-president of the NS, Sanda Rašković Ivić, however, believes that regardless of numerous flaws, such as the lack of public discussion or OSCE monitoring, the referendum should be held and voted against the changes to the Constitution, "because it is an introduction to other changes, such as for example changing the preamble that defines Kosovo and Metohija as part of Serbia".
The Assembly of the NS made a decision that "the party opposes changes to the Constitution of Serbia that relate to the judiciary because they are not in the interest of the state and citizens." It leaves it to its members to "decide freely and according to their own conscience whether they will participate in the referendum or not."
S.Ć./NovaS/Tanjug/Politika
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