Where to go without an agreement between the government and the opposition: There are three paths to the election

President of the Assembly Ana Brnabic announced repeated Belgrade elections for June 2. She did it at the last moment because until Wednesday morning, there was still a chance that the government and the opposition would meet in the collegium of the Assembly reach some kind of agreement.

But that chance, if it really existed, backfired after the progressives rejected the opposition's third demand – that repeated elections in Belgrade be held at the same time as regular local elections in the remaining cities and municipalities.

This would require certain legal acrobatics, but, as "Vremena" sources from the meeting say, the government did not have the will for such a thing. On the contrary, she offered an acrobatics of another kind – to introduce temporary authorities in dozens of municipalities and cities and to postpone those other local elections until autumn.

But as far as Belgrade is concerned, the elections must be held on June 2. This was emphasized by Ana Brnabić, who said that she was "sorry" that the opposition did not want a "compromise".

In her reading, the government's willingness to "compromise" has already been confirmed by agreeing to the first two demands of the opposition - to form a joint commission that will check the voter list and changes in it, and to "invite" RTS to report in a balanced manner.

The train for an agreement before calling the election has passed. "Time" analyzes what options are left now.

First option: Elections of course

"The authorities don't really like the boycott because it draws international criticism," political scientist Dejan Bursać told Vreme. Promises and even changes to some laws do not cost anything - that is what the government offered this time as well - although, says Bursać, the question is always what would be implemented.

There's some kind of face-up poker going on. A boycott is also a risk for the opposition, especially since some figures show that even in this way they could win in Belgrade and some other areas.

Despite the election manipulations they talk about, in December the opposition was one step away from victory with an unconvincing campaign, a complete fiasco of the right and a solid result of Dr. Branimir Nestorović, who turned out to be a man closer to the government than the opposition.

When talking informally with leaders of parties and movements from the "Serbia against violence" coalition, one hears different views. Publicly, everyone stands behind the message that they will not go to the rigged elections again. It is on WednesdayMiroslav Aleksić said as well, stating that "the government has decided" to go to the elections without opposition.

But when the microphones are turned off, there are different thoughts. Some do not see the readiness of the citizens to go to the "final showdown" and are afraid of confusing people. Political scientist Bursać shares this thesis:

"The threat of boycott is a little surprising. Because we had an extremely negative boycott experience four years ago. Although the idea may not have been bad, that boycott was not capitalized at all," he says.

"Secondly, the boycott is an empty threat because you confuse your own voters only a few months before the elections, instead of mobilizing the electorate, especially since you can win in some cities and municipalities, in Niš, Novi Sad, several Belgrade municipalities," added Bursać for "Vreme". ".

Another option: "Active Boycott"

The other part of "Serbia against violence", and it seems that the NADA coalition, are among the "more belligerent". Some of them say that it is time to tighten things up to the end, to physically prevent the vote, at the cost of some opposition member going to jail.

Miloš Jovanović, the leader of the New DSS, is also an advocate of "active boycott", who - like others - did not want to reveal to the public what ideas they have about how to "prevent" voting.

Ali said in an interview for "Vreme" that the credibility of the opposition would be questioned if it went to the elections under the same conditions and that in that case we could freely declare Vučić a marshal.

About flirting with the scenario of Bursać Street, he says that it is not a miracle seen in "electoral autocracies", under those regimes that try to preserve the democratic facade.

"In hybrid regimes, the authorities tend to keep all politics in the institutions because they control them." While the opposition is looking to lead politics both in the institutions and outside - on the street, boycotts, protests, and to introduce international pressure."

All the logic of the "active boycott" boils down to the belief that citizens have more will to "prevent the elections" and that the international factor could completely turn the other page.

But not everyone is convinced of that.

Third option: Deus ex machina

Although the Belgrade elections have been announced, and the opposition and the government have declared the negotiations failed - blaming each other - there is still time to fulfill the third condition of the opposition.

That is, for President Aleksandar Vučić to appear "out of nowhere" and for the sake of "stability" agree to fulfill "that too". Of course, denying that there is any reason for such acrobatics at all, but presenting it as "electing" the opposition and his good will to "please" it.

There are more possibilities to do such a thing legally. From changes in the law to the lex specialis. Several interlocutors of "Vremen" think that it would be the "cheapest" option, in which the opposition would have no choice but to go to the elections.

Bursać leaves another possibility, albeit a small one, that Vučić is playing chess on a completely different level and that everything we saw - up to the collapsed collegium of the Assembly - was just a guess about the date.

"I am not sure that this is the case, but maybe dust is being thrown in the opposition's eyes all the time while the SNS is doing a lot of campaigning." And we see them on the field campaigning, mostly in Belgrade, but also in other places where elections are held."

If so, then the SNS has decided that it will not be affected by "single-party" elections at all. That would be a whole other dimension.