Miloš Jovanović: We will prevent rigged elections from taking place again

Miloš Jovanović, president of the New DSS and MP, says that the opposition acted responsibly when it raised demands for improving election conditions, but that it does not expect the government to fulfill those demands.

"You know, if they wanted to change something and if they had any sense of democratic procedures, we would never have gotten into this situation. If you add to that the events from Mala Krsna, everything indicates that they are continuing with the practice of rigging the Belgrade elections," says Jovanović for "Vreme".

Most of the opposition is on Monday came out with a list of demands, from arranging the voter list, to the introduction of a parliamentary commission that would control the election process and the replacement of the leadership of RTS and REM.

"Street Pressure" Announced

As Jovanović says, if the government does not meet those requirements, the opposition "remains other methods". "It's street pressure. I have nothing to hide here. When the institutions are hijacked, when you have a government that is intoxicated with power, then you have no other options than street pressure, which is also a democratic thing," says Jovanović.

He is not talking about a boycott, but about the fact that the opposition "will do everything in cooperation with the citizens" to prevent the elections from being held under the same conditions. "If we start from the position that elections in the same conditions do not make sense, then the inevitable conclusion is that such elections must not be held."

When asked how to prevent the holding of elections, Jovanović does not reveal the cards and says that "there are many ways".

"If by any chance reason is awakened within the ruling option, it will be great news for the country." Otherwise, we will go in other directions that no one wants, but the responsibility will be absolutely and exclusively on Aleksandar Vučić", says Jovanović.

"Fairly fair" elections required

He calls the issue of free elections a "fateful" issue that determines "whether we will be a democratic state or a state sliding into a light-dictatorship that can become even more rigid."

"If we don't budge, the government will continue to ride us, but I believe that the people have enough democratic reflexes and strength to recognize the critical moment to wake up and not allow one man and regime to take our destiny into their hands," says Jovanović. for "Time".

As he adds, the opposition does not get carried away with the possibility that the elections will be ideal, but asks for them to be "somewhat fair".

"No one expects equal treatment on private televisions with national frequency, although that should be the case." But we are talking about fairly fair elections, so that there is no abuse of the voter list and that the public service works as it should," adds Jovanović.

The West will not pressure the "accomplice in treason"

When asked whether it is realistic to realize the opposition's demands in a situation where there is not too much pressure from the West, Jovanović says that there will be no such pressure.

"Neither am I interested in pressure from the side, from the West or the East." We have to solve this. If we are not cadres, we will have the fate we deserve. The maturation of a nation can never be imported," he states.

Jovanović adds that it is "ridiculous" to expect pressure from the West because they are only interested in implementing "their foreign policy, which is the recognition of the secession of our southern province and the unitization of Bosnia and Herzegovina."

"They are patient, they do it slowly, they have a methodical approach to their interests while they find people here who are ready to participate in the betrayal of their own country, and Vucic is that man." They have no reason to put excessive pressure on him. I can apply some cosmetic pressure because of democracy, but nothing more than that," concludes Jovanović.