Verica Milanović, a member of the Presidency of the opposition Serbia Centre (SRCE), has questioned whether the 87 mayors and municipal presidents whom Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has said he plans to replace will also face legal accountability over alleged corruption and other abuses.
Milanović said the public should be informed about whether the local officials will be held responsible for what she described as corruption and criminal activity.
Vučić has announced that he plans to resign as president on September 27. He has also said that, three months after the formation of the next Serbian government, he intends to replace at least half of the country’s mayors and municipal presidents. His announcement has been reported by several Serbian media outlets.
According to Milanović, Serbia has 174 local self-government units, meaning Vučić’s plan would affect at least 87 mayors or municipal presidents.
She questioned why local authorities and residents would not have a role in decisions concerning changes in local leadership.
Milanović also accused the officials targeted by Vučić’s proposed changes of having, in her words, “plundered” their local communities and budgets and transferred public assets to businessmen associated with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). These are political allegations made by SRCE and were not accompanied in the statement by specific court findings or individual criminal convictions.
She further suggested that Vučić’s announcement could shift responsibility for conditions in local communities onto mayors and municipal presidents.
Milanović also raised the possibility that some local officials could resign, potentially triggering local elections in a number of municipalities.
Vučić’s announced resignation is scheduled for September 27, after which he has said he will enter the parliamentary election campaign as a private citizen.
The developments come ahead of Serbia’s upcoming parliamentary elections and amid broader political changes at both the national and local levels.
