A group of 48 opposition MPs from the Green–Left Front (ZLF), PSG, SDA Sandžak, SSP, NPS, and Serbia Center have submitted a formal request to the Constitutional Court to review the constitutionality of the government’s lex specialis on the General Staff complex in Belgrade.
According to Biljana Đorđević (ZLF), this is not merely an initiative, but an official request filed by authorized proposers, demanding that the court rule on the unconstitutionality of the entire law.
Đorđević stated that the opposition is calling on the court to suspend all actions and decisions taken under this law until a verdict is reached, warning that irreversible damage may occur to Serbia’s historical heritage.
She emphasized that the MPs believe the law is unconstitutional in its entirety.
“The government falsely claims a ‘public interest’ in economic development, even though the law directly conflicts with the obligation to protect cultural and historical heritage,” Đorđević said, adding that the alleged economic interest is not explained or justified whatsoever.
The contested law — officially titled “The Law on Special Procedures for Revitalization and Development of the Area Between Kneza Miloša, Masarikova, Birčaninova and Resavska Streets” — does not even mention the name of the historic General Staff building, which many experts see as a deliberate attempt to obscure the target of the legislation.
Experts have long warned that the purpose of this lex specialis is to bypass legal procedures, fast-track the removal of cultural protection, and ultimately enable the demolition of the General Staff complex.
They argue that the law serves private foreign interests, specifically those connected to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump — a project strongly supported by Aleksandar Vučić’s government, which has repeatedly pushed controversial urban deals at the expense of public interest and cultural heritage.
This case adds to mounting criticism that Vučić’s administration is eroding institutions, undermining the rule of law, and handing over state assets through special laws designed to avoid scrutiny.
