The opposition party Srbija Centar (SRCE) has intensified its political offensive against the government, declaring that Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government Snežana Paunović has transformed into a “severe state and security liability.”
The party’s latest statement follows Paunović’s controversial attempts to clarify her original remarks regarding the ethnic displacement of Albanians from Kosovo. SRCE demands her immediate resignation or an instant dismissal by the prime minister.
The “Deportation” Escalation
In its official press release, SRCE dismantled Paunović’s public defense strategy, in which she claimed that a seven-second clip of her interview was “maliciously taken out of context” to falsely accuse her of backing ethnic cleansing.
According to the opposition, her attempt to clean up her rhetoric only exposed a profound ignorance of both Serbian domestic law and international legal orders:
“The minister’s claim falls flat against the fact that immediately after making her defense, she uttered an even worse alternative—suggesting that instead of using the term ‘ethnic cleansing,’ it might have been better if she had used the word ‘deportation.’
The minister clearly does not know that deportation, just like ethnic cleansing, is a severe criminal offense, a crime against humanity, and a war crime under both our domestic Criminal Code and international conventions.”
— Official Statement by the Srbija Centar (SRCE) Party
Diplomatic Fallout and Government Silence
The opposition party emphasized that these continuous inflammatory statements are actively harming Serbia on two key fronts:
- Endangering Kosovo Serbs: SRCE warns that such radical rhetoric from a sitting government minister directly compromises the security and political interests of the Serbian population currently living in Kosovo.
- Irreparable Diplomatic Damage: The ongoing scandal is inflicting “immeasurable and permanent diplomatic harm” to Serbia’s reputation on the global stage, especially coming on the heels of official condemnations from the United Kingdom and the European Commission.
The Prime Minister’s Complicity
SRCE targeted its sharpest criticism at Prime Minister Đuro Macut, who has so far avoided making a definitive public statement to officially condemn the cabinet member’s outbursts. The party charged that “by remaining silent, the Prime Minister is directly backing this shameful rhetoric and becoming an accomplice in damaging his own state.”
