The mandate for forming the Serbian Government, Millosh Vučeviq, proposed the names of new ministers in the cabinet on Monday.
As announced, his government will consist of 25 ministers and five ministers without portfolio.
Aleksandar Vulin, former head of intelligence service, who has been under US sanctions since July 2023 – among other things due to ties with Russia, will return to the position of Deputy Prime Minister.
The current Serbian foreign minister, Ivica Dačić, will lead the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the Minister of Defense will be Bratislav Gašić, so far the Minister of Police.
Marko Đurić, former Serbian ambassador to the US and former director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia, will join the Government as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Another official from the US “blacklist” due to ties with Russia, Nenad Popović, will also be part of the Government as a minister without portfolio.
“Guardians” in the Government
Milica Djurdjević Stamenkovski, leader of the right-wing party Zavetnici, will head the Ministry of Family Care.
This party has so far acted in opposition, but after the December 17 elections, it started cooperation with the Serbian Progressive Party, which holds power.
As its partner in the coalition, it will also participate in the upcoming local elections in Serbia, scheduled for June 2.
New ministers of the Serbian Government also include former Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Nemanja Starović, as Minister of Labor, Darko Glišić as Minister for Public Investments, and Dejan Ristić as Minister for Information.
Zlatibor Lončar will return to lead the Ministry of Health, which he did not hold in the previous composition, while the Ministry of Culture will be taken over by Nikola Selaković.
The outgoing Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Aleksandar Martinović, will lead the Ministry of Agriculture.
The new Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government will be Jelena Jarić Kovačević, while Adrijana Mesarović will be the Minister of Economy.
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Who held the ministries?
Siniša Mali remains at the head of the Ministry of Finance, as does Irena Vujović in the position of Minister of Ecology and Dubravka Jevđović Handanović as Minister of Mines and Energy.
Maja Popović remains Minister of Justice and Goran Vesić remains Minister of Construction. Tomislav Momirović also retains the portfolio of Internal and External Trade.
Minister for European Integration remains Tanja Miščević, while Slavica Đukić Dejanović will again be the Minister of Education.
Jelena Begović will be Minister of Science in this composition as well, while Milan Krkobabić will continue to lead the Ministry for the Care of Villages.
The head of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights in this mandate will be Tomislav Zigmanov, while Zoran Gajić will remain Minister of Sports.
Husein Memić, meanwhile, remains at the head of the Ministry of Tourism and Youth.
In addition to Nenad Popović, the new Serbian government will also have four other ministers without portfolio. They are: Novica Tončev, Đorđe Milićević, Usame Žućorlić and Tatjana Matić.
Tončev and Milićević, officials of the Socialist Party of Serbia, were ministers without portfolio in the last composition of the Government.
Former Minister of Culture, Maja Gojković, was proposed as President of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
Vučević said he would submit a request to the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, to convene a session on May 1, at which he will present the expose, the work plan, and the proposal for the composition of the Serbian Government.
The new Serbian Government takes office after the December elections, which were won by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) with a majority of votes.
Opposition coalitions, Serbia against Violence and NADA, accused the coalition led by the SNS of theft in the elections.
Numerous irregularities during the extraordinary parliamentary, regional, and local elections, held on December 17 in Serbia, were also highlighted by international and domestic observer missions.
Authorities, on the other hand, denied major electoral irregularities.
