
Petition
Rows in Kragujevac: Petition for early elections
The citizens of Kragujevac have been signing a petition demanding extraordinary parliamentary elections for the second day. More than 2000 signatures were collected in just a few hours
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has again announced a sharp response to the mysterious country that allegedly interferes in the Serbian elections. It is assumed that it is Germany that the editors of the yellow press accuse of creating "chaos" in Belgrade. Paradoxically, "Serbia against violence" has no reason to be enthusiastic about Germany, because there were no quick reactions from Berlin.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced at the end of December that by the New Year expose the "important" country which is allegedly interfering in the Serbian elections.
As he announced at the time, state authorities are drafting "an important letter about the influence and interference of an important country in the electoral process of Serbia in the most brutal way."
On Saturday, during the introduction of the Christmas card to the Presidency, Vučić did not refer to the fact that "in writing" was late, but now he called the writing, which is allegedly being worked on, "elaboration".
"We are making a serious study and regardless of the fact that it will not be an easy thing for us to publish, we will publish it when we finish," Tanjug reports the words of the president.
Thus continues the saga with the announcement of a harsh response to the country that the public speculates is Germany. On Saturday, Vučić continued to fuel speculation, as he again did not name that "important country".
"But that brutal interference in the internal affairs of Serbia and its electoral processes continues and I can say, with somewhat reduced ferocity, it still continues, but we have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of, we will publish it, let them be ashamed those who behaved like that were very irresponsible and frivolous," said Vučić.
What did the Germans say?
To this day, official Brussels and Berlin are practically silent on the election circumstances in Serbia. With some criticism, the spokesperson of the European Commission said a few days ago that the final report of the OSCE monitoring mission is awaited.
The most concrete is – but in just one tweet, immediately after the elections - either the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling the conditions in which the elections were held "unacceptable" for the EU candidate country.
There was a reference to the preliminary statement of the OSCE observation mission in which the cases of buying votes, bringing in voters as well as the omnipresence of the President of Serbia in the media before the elections are listed.
However, official Berlin has not since clarified what it means for the election to be "unacceptable". That is, does it literally mean that the elections are "not accepted" or is it in question just a routine and mild criticism, the kind that have been coming to Andrić's wreath from Berlin for years - in fact, more harshly since Angel Merkel is no longer in the Chancellor's Office.
In the absence of official reactions, some German MPs are speaking. After the liberal Thomas Hacker who is called on the EU to finally react, social democrat Michael Roth, chairman of the Bundestag's foreign policy committee, announced on the X network.
"The election must be checked and repeated," Roth wrote on Thursday, urging the EU and Germany to act. He added that Serbia must stop "oscillating" between Russia and the West, and that Vučić "endangers peace in the Western Balkans."
🇺🇸+🇪🇺 machen sich komplett unglaubwürdig, wenn sie die Entwicklungen in Serbien weiter verharmlosen. Die Wahlen müssen verskeit+wiederholt werden. Das 🇷🇸Regime muss die Schaukelpolitik zwischen 🇷🇺+Westen stoppen. Vucic jefährdet den Frieden im Westbalkan. https://t.co/Nj3anTVMUd
— Michael Roth – official 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@MiRo_SPD) January 4, 2024
Thus, only the "usual suspects" came from Germany, who previously agitated for Berlin and Brussels to "turn over" and put more pressure on Serbia to impose sanctions on Russia and recognize Kosovo. Roth was among the leading signatories of the letter after the skirmish in Banjska, which demanded that Serbia be threatened with sanctions.
German MEP Viola von Kramon (Greens), who once called herself a "Kosovo lobbyist", is among those who reacted.
Although some in Serbia started talking about "Berlin's turn", these are not official reactions. Even though Hacker, Roth and Von Kramon are MPs from three parties in the ruling coalition.
Tabloids continue with "color revolution" theory
On Friday, the regime's tabloid "Informer" deepened the "theories" on its front page, due to which the public believes that Vučić is referring to Germany when he talks about an "important country" interfering in the elections.
"Yellow scum with Germans are destroying Serbia", it was written across the front page of the tabloid.
The announced protest of the opposition for January 13 is described as a plan by the "Djilasovs" to blockade Belgrade just in time for the Serbian New Year and "push the country into chaos so that Vučić will hand over power to them", and in this "they have the support of certain German politicians, such as Bundestag MP Michael Company".
Previously, an identical text was published on portals close to the government, in which it is stated that "the opposition is overthrowing Vučić with a Serb-hater from Germany."
Roth reacted to those posts as well. "If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny." President Vučić does not accept criticism constructively, but instead spreads conspiracy theories, unleashes his media hounds and calls for the persecution of dissenters. The elections must be checked urgently. The European Union must act," Roth wrote on the X Network on Friday.
Even immediately after the elections, tabloids close to the government "proved" that Germany was behind the "chaos" in Serbia.
Their thesis was based on the fact that activist Nikola Ristić (27), one of the persons student group "Borba", which called for more radical actions and roadblocks, occasionally collaborates with the Deutsche Welle Academy.
Deutsche Welle rejected those insinuations, stating that he is neutral towards political events in Serbia.
The opposition is not satisfied with "Western partners"
The "Serbia Against Violence" list, which does not give up protesting and appealing to the Constitutional Court, claiming that the elections were rigged primarily by moving voters to Belgrade, is also not satisfied - however, it is not satisfied with the lukewarm official reactions of Berlin and Brussels.
As we already wrote, some opposition politicians are reaching out to their contacts in Europe, but so far without success. "It's a shame if they shut up and let everything continue like this," said one of our sources from the top of that coalition.
So for now, the "excellent connections" that the parties from "Serbia against violence" have in political Berlin have not paid off. Just before the elections, their representatives such as Borko Stefanović, Radomir Lazović and Natan Albahari were received there by representatives of the German ruling parties with whom they share the same party families.
Thus, from the Freedom and Justice Party they are close to the German Social Democrats, from the Green-Left Front to the German Greens, and from the Movement of Free Citizens to the local Liberals.
Isn't it because of Kosovo?
The question of why there are no reactions from Berlin and Brussels was also raised in several articles in the German press.
The reputable weekly Zeit wondered how and why Vučić gets away with undermining democracy, shutting down the media, dispersing the opposition and now rigging elections.
Journalist Ulrich Ladurner stated in that text that "the answer must be sought in the Kosovo conflict."
"In Brussels, it is believed that only Vučić can solve these problems." They see in him a strong man who will explain to the Serbs that Kosovo is irretrievably lost. Only the nationalist Vučić can explain to the Serbian nation the loss of one of 'its' provinces. In Brussels, they adhere to that theory. And that's why they stick to Vučić as well", writes the text of the respected weekly.
But why would Vučić clear the way for the independence of Kosovo, the journalist asks.
"If he did that, he would lose a key position." As long as he has her, Brussels has an understanding for him. That's why he plays on time. So far, he has not made any key concessions regarding Kosovo. Brussels continues to remain patient – and quiet.”
It is interesting that exactly one year ago, Ladurner wrote about a similar topic, the EU's attitude towards Vučić, and that the President of Serbia responded to that text at a press conference. Vučić then said that there are various animals in the circus, including tigers and others, but that there is no wolf.
Who did not understand, he, Vučić, is that untamable wolf. All that remains is for the collaborators to finish the study.
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