Aleksandar Vučić has been elected head of the parliamentary group of the “United Serbia” electoral list in the new National Assembly. The decision was made at a meeting of the group, Radio Television of Vojvodina reported.
“I will be there and, at least for some time, I will lead the parliamentary group,” Vučić told TV Pink. He specified that the formation’s final name has not yet been decided. The options under discussion include “United Serbia” and “Serbia Against Terror”, with a decision expected on Monday or Tuesday morning.
The Group Will Have 103 MPs
The list headed by Vučić won 103 seats in the snap parliamentary elections. The largest force in the new parliament is the student list “Students Are Winning”, which won 140 seats. The remaining seven mandates have been distributed among representatives of parties of national minorities.
Vučić said that his parliamentary group would not defend only the policy of the Serbian Progressive Party. In his words, it will seek to build a broader political front and will be “the voice of a free Serbia”. He promised that the MPs would behave “properly and civilly”, while at the same time firmly defending their positions.
Parliament’s Constitutive Session Is Next
The constitutive session of the new National Assembly is scheduled for November 17. The agenda includes the confirmation of mandates, the election of a speaker and deputy speakers, the appointment of a secretary-general and the election of the members of the parliamentary committees.
Vučić’s group will nominate Professor Stojan Radenović for speaker of parliament. The student list, which has 140 MPs, has enough votes to elect a speaker without support from the other formations. Disagreements have already emerged between it and Vučić’s camp over the distribution of leadership positions and parliamentary committees, N1 reported.
Following the constitution of parliament, the 90-day period for forming a new government will begin. Vučić, who resigned as president on September 27 after deciding to head the election list and run for prime minister, will remain at the helm of the largest opposition group in the new parliament.
Sources: rtv.rs, b92.net, apnews.com