The institutional push by Serbia’s parliamentary opposition to force a vote on the dismissal of Minister Snežana Paunović has hit a structural roadblock.
The initiative failed to gather the 60 signatures required to legally force the motion onto the agenda of the National Assembly. Out of the entire opposition camp, only 53 MPs signed the petition, falling short by just seven signatures. Consequently, the block of 53 forwarded the request directly to Prime Minister Đuro Macut.
While the primary initiators—including the Green-Left Front, SSP, SRCE, and others—condemned Paunović’s televised remarks backing the 1998 ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, a significant portion of the opposition deliberately withheld their signatures. Speaking to the daily newspaper Danas, leaders of these non-signing factions explained their refusal, exposing deep tactical rifts within the anti-regime bloc.
1. The Radical Labour Party (Željko Veselinović): “Pure Political Marketing”
Željko Veselinović, president of the Radnički Pokret (Labour Party), clarified that his party strongly condemns Paunović’s “harsh and brutal” statement, but refused to sign due to the fragmented and superficial nature of the opposition’s strategy.
- Presented with a Fait Accompli: Veselinović complained that the mainstream opposition never organizes strategic meetings for serious topics, opting instead to send bulk emails demanding “yes or no” compliance.
- A Futile Exercise: He argued that filing standalone parliamentary initiatives under the current ruling majority is a dead end.
“We will not sign activities that cannot be adopted or even put on the agenda even in a science-fiction movie. These initiatives serve solely for day-to-day political marketing because of opposition vanity, rather than a genuine desire to cooperate on key issues.”
— Željko Veselinović, Labour Party
2. The Right-Wing “NADA” Coalition (Miloš Jovanović): “Boycott is the Only Way”
Miloš Jovanović, leader of the New DSS (representing the right-wing NADA coalition alongside the Monarchists), stated that his party has been boycotting parliament for months, making any participation in petitions entirely hypocritical.
- Refusing to Legitimize the Regime: Jovanović argued that sitting in the assembly or filing petitions gives the Vučić regime a false veneer of democratic legitimacy.
- Distraction from Strategic Goals: He questioned why the public is hyper-focusing on “meaningless initiatives” when the opposition should be organizing a unified strategy ahead of the upcoming elections.
“Authentic right-wingers know exactly what they are doing. It would be far more beneficial if the opposition focused on finding a unified presidential candidate and establishing distinct political programs, rather than running media campaigns through dead-end parliamentary motions.”
— Miloš Jovanović, New DSS
3. “Mi, Snaga Naroda” (Borislav Antonijević): “An Emotional Reaction to Teror”
In a starkly different defense, Borislav Antonijević from the populist movement “Mi – Snaga Naroda” downplayed Paunović’s statement, shifting the blame onto the broader government and international bodies.
- Contextual Justification: Antonijević expressed certainty that if Paunović were to elaborate, her comments would have a different context, framing them as an emotional outburst from a native of Peja witnessing contemporary issues in Kosovo.
- Targeting the Entire Cabinet: He argued that individual targeting is pointless since his movement believes the entire government should fall, rather than single ministers.
“I am certain that Mrs. Paunović gave that statement out of deep bitterness and raw emotion regarding current events in Kosovo, sympathizing with her former neighbors. She knows very well that the ordinary people she lived with have nothing to do with this; the fault lies with the wrong policies of our institutions and the international community.“
— Borislav Antonijević, Mi – Snaga Naroda
4. The Democratic Party / DS (Srđan Milivojević): “We Will Not Wipe the Regime’s Bloody Hands”
Srđan Milivojević, president of the Democratic Party (DS), delivered the most scathing critique, explaining that the DS walked out of parliament long ago at the request of protesting students and will not return for “political theater.”
- Simulating Democracy: Milivojević argued that participating in debates or votes gives Aleksandar Vučić “artificial respiration” to hide his autocracy from the international public.
- No Faith in Parliamentary Math: He noted that no sane person believes a few opposition signatures will force a mafia-led majority to hold its own ministers accountable.
“Paunović’s statement is monstrous and she shouldn’t remain minister for a single day. But this assembly is a puppet show where ministers leave traces of innocent blood on the benches. The Democratic Party will never agree to be a paper towel to wipe those bloody hands. The best way to demand her dismissal is by completely abandoning this fake parliament.”
— Srđan Milivojević, Democratic Party
The Non-Signing Factions
The following parliamentary groups and independent factions did not provide their signatures to the joint opposition petition:
- Democratic Party (DS)
- Radnički Pokret (Labour Party)
- Novi DSS & Monarhisti (NADA Coalition)
- Mi – Glas iz naroda & Mi – Snaga naroda
- Savez vojvođanskih Mađara (SVM)
- Socijaldemokratska partija Srbije (SDPS)
- Stranka pravde i pomirenja (SPP)
