The mayor of Loznica, Vidoje Petrović, resigned from that position. The news comes at a time when Loznica is in the public spotlight due to environmental protests against the Jadar project and mining of lithium and boron.
Mayor Bedroom Vidoje Petrović took it resignation to that place, reports Danas.
Milena Manojlović-Knežević, president of the Loznica City Assembly, stated in her explanation that she is resigning for health and family reasons. The date on the resignation document received by Danas is August 5.
The new session of the City Assembly is scheduled for October 25, but at that session there is no item on the election of a new mayor.
Dragan Pajić, councilor of Smelo citizens' group in the Loznica City Assembly, confirmed that Petrović resigned, who says that this group had this information on August 16, but that the resignation was filed in the municipality only on October 10.
When will the new mayor be elected?
When asked what will happen next in that municipality, which is in the center of attention these days due to the protests of environmental organizations against the Rio Tinto project, he answers that this means that the Assembly of Loznica will sit on October 25, since the last session was held on July 25.
Pajić assumed that the resignation of the mayor would probably mean the end of the mandate of the others at the head of the city and that a new mayor would be elected.
"They were probably evaluating whether to go to the elections or not." Since the mayor is elected from among the councilors, they have little room for maneuver when it comes to choosing the new first man of Loznica, and it comes down to two or three people they can count on," said Pajić.
Who is Vidoje Petrović?
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić mentioned Vidoja Petrović several times in an ambiguous tone, during a campaign of talks with the people in Western Serbia, conducted in order to "calm the fear" of the opening of a lithium mine by the international company Rio Tinto.
In a conversation with citizens, which was broadcast live on several national television stations, Vučić mentioned several times that on the local portal in Loznica you can see all kinds of announcements, but not against Vidoj Petrović.
Certain tabloids published that Vidoje Petrović is in business relations with the father of Tamara Vučić, the wife of President Aleksandar Vučić, who is from Loznica.
According to his official biography, Vidoje Petrović is the founder of the Movement for Loznica and Podrinje, he was a member of the United Regions of Serbia, and in June 2015 he joined the Serbian Progressive Party.
His name is further mentioned on various lists of persons supporting Vučić. He is a member of the Presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party and, as far as is known, he is the head of the Lozna committee of the SNS.
He has already resigned once, according to opposition sources, this time in 2022 as a member of the Working Group for the Jadar project.
Protests and a new spatial plan
Asked what it means that the Rio Tinto project and the adoption of the Spatial Plan were expected, he says that the Assembly will first elect a new leadership, and only then move on.
Another citizen protest was held in Loznica on Wednesday due to the authorities' intention to allow the opening of a lithium mine in the Jadra valley. Organized by the Association of Environmental Organizations of Serbia (SEOS), the protest in Loznica began shortly after 17 p.m. in front of the City Assembly. In addition to citizens and environmental activists, the meeting was attended by representatives of opposition parties and movements.
Zlatko Kokanović from the association Ne damo Jadar, referring to the building of the City Assembly, said that "there has been no host in it for three months and they will not say what happened to him, whether he is sick, whether he resigned, gave money because was blackmailed…”
"What is happening to the man who brought us Rio Tinto 20 years ago? Or does he have a shred of conscience left in him, so he won't sign the Spatial Plan", asked Kokanović.
As he repeated, if a session of the City Assembly is not scheduled by October 23, it will have to go into receivership.
"And they are obviously in a hurry with that Spatial Plan", pointed out Kokanović.
He asked the councilors of the city of Loznica if they had a shred of honor and conscience.
"When that day comes, history will be written about him." You can write praise, but you can also be recorded as traitors. The spatial plan of Loznica is the starting point for everything and without it Rio Tinto cannot do anything. We are waiting for that session and we must not allow them to vote on that shameful plan," Kokanović emphasized.
He told the councilors to wait for them whenever they schedule a session.
"Signing the Plan is signing the capitulation of the state and we will not allow that," he pointed out.
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