Serbian professor and political analyst Žarko Korać has strongly criticized Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, accusing him of using regional tensions and nationalist rhetoric for domestic political purposes.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe, Korać said that Vučić is attempting to cultivate the image of a leader who is the “defender of all Serbs,” including those living outside Serbia.
According to Korać, the Serbian president is once again bringing the idea of the “Serbian world” into public discourse precisely as elections approach.
“Vučić has never abandoned that idea. He is bringing it back into circulation now because there are elections. This is one of the main characteristics of his pre-election campaign,” Korać said.
He linked this approach to Vučić’s ambitions to exert influence over Serbs living outside Serbia.
“Instead of being satisfied with being the president of the people living in Serbia, Vučić has great ambitions to be the president of Serbs living not only in the region, but also in America, South Africa and various parts of the world,” Korać said.
Korać also rejected Vučić’s claim that he can be considered the president of all Serbs.
“Vučić is not the president of all Serbs. That is an absurd claim. Vučić is the president of the citizens of Serbia,” he stated.
According to Korać, the Serbian president is attempting to portray himself as more powerful than he actually is.
“This is Vučić’s attempt to present himself as more powerful than he is,” Korać said, emphasizing that the positions of representatives of Serbs in Croatia also demonstrate that the claim to be the “president of all Serbs” does not hold up.
Korać was particularly critical of Vučić’s conduct toward neighboring countries. He said that the Serbian president is trying to restore the image of a leader who is the “master of the Serbs in the region.”
“Vučić wants to restore the image that he is the master of the Serbs in the region, that nothing can be done without him,” Korać said.
According to him, this approach has also been evident in Serbia’s relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Korać accused Vučić of using the narrative of threats against Serbs to strengthen his political position.
“Vučić is desperate. He is very afraid of losing power and is doing everything he can to demonstrate that he is a great leader and that no one in the region can do anything without him,” he said.
In conclusion, Korać offered a harsh assessment of the impact of Vučić’s policies on the region.
“Vučić is constantly destabilizing the region. He is doing so more intensively now because elections are approaching,” Korać said.
According to Korać, the Serbian president is under political pressure because of declining public support.
“He is in a panic because, according to public opinion polls, he does not have 50 percent support,” Korać said, adding that Vučić believes campaign rallies accompanied by music, food and drinks can increase his support, but that so far, this does not appear to be working.
“He destabilizes the region because, for him, this is a small price to pay to win the elections,” Korać concluded.
