The Serbian National Assembly will on Tuesday begin a special session dedicated to electing Serbia’s new government.
The cabinet proposed by PM-designate Aleksandar Vucic will have 19 ministers, including three ministers without portfolio.
Vucic’s SNS party will lead the government, with three ministerial posts going to their coalition partners the SPS. Several non-partisan figures will also be members of the country’s new cabinet.
The government will have eight new names, while six ministers from the previous composition have been left out.
National Assembly President Maja Gojkovic expects “a substantial and serious debate” and the election of the proposed government by the end of the week.
Vucic has announced that he will be presenting his exposé for several hours, followed by a debate on the government’s program and on its members, and a vote to elect it.
The Serbian National Assembly decides on electing the country’s government in a secret vote, unless a decision is made to vote by roll call. A government is elected by a simple majority (126) out of the total number of people’s deputies (250).
The government’s mandate starts from the moment the oath of office is taken before the National Assembly.
After the oath is taken, the prime minister and the members of his cabinet sign the text of the oath and hand it over to the president of the National Assembly.
Vucic on Monday said that he had no plans for now to change the laws on government and ministries, and announced that, while presenting his cabinet’s program today, he will speak “as much as need, and that will be several hours.”
He added that his presentation has been prepared “very diligently and seriously” and that he is convinced that is “our obligation to citizens.”
Vucic also revealed that “out of respect for parliament and citizens” he plans to present his government’s program while standing – and will also be reading out some of it, and delivering the rest “from his head.”
When asked what he would do if the opposition decided to walk out, Vucic said they were free to leave the session if they wanted to – “I neither can nor want to stop anyone.”
“Let them do their work, let them walk where they want – to in front of the journalists, to the restaurant,” he said, and announced that he will be “ready to answer every question and objection, will not be scared of curses, insults, slander, fabrication,” and “will not be running out or running away from anyone.”
“I’m sure they are of better physical health than I am, but few will be able to stand and work more than I do,” said Vucic.
If elected, his new cabinet will have Ivica Dacic as the First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister, as well as Deputy PM and Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, Deputy PM and Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic, and Deputy PM and Minister of Trade and Telecommunications Minister Rasim Ljajic.
The government will also include Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic, Minister of Economy Goran Knezevic, Minister of Agriculture Branislav Nedimovic, Energy and Mining Minister Aleksandar Antic, Minister of Justice Nela Kuburovic, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government Ana Brnabic, Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic, Education Minister Mladen Sarcevic, Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, Minister of Labor, Social and Veteran Affairs Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Youth and Sports Vanja Udovicic, and Minister of Culture and Information Vladan Vukosavljevic.
Ministers without portfolio will be Jadranka Joksimovic, Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and Milan Krkobabic.
Source: b92
