People’s Party leader Vuk Jeremic told N1 on Monday that a boycott the fastest way to bring about changes, adding that its success is not measured by turnout at the coming elections.

He said that a boycott casts doubt on the legitimacy of the regime. “Unity is created in the opposition and anyone prepared to compromise is brought out in the open, basic dignity is defended,” Jeremic said, adding that a boycott is just one of the tools being used to change Serbia. “This is the fastest way to bring changes, we have decided to de-legitimize the regime,” he said.

“The success of the boycott will be measured by the time between the elections and the fall of (Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic. You won’t be able to say how successful the boycott will be on election day. The main motive for the boycott is that we are convinced that this is the only thing that can cut down that time,” he said on the N1 morning show. Jeremic’s party was the first to decide to boycott elections and start a boycott campaign.

He warned that pressure will be used to get as many people as possible to turn out to vote because the authorities want big percentages. “I believe the electoral roll will be shortened and that the turnout will be higher than at previous elections,” he said.

“This is not just a boycott of the elections but a boycott of the system. The elections are just one element of what the People’s Party no longer agrees to,” Jeremic said.

He said the party is campaigning door to door because they have little access to all other forms of communicating with voters. “In the two years since the party was formed I have not managed to get a single minute on any TV station with a national frequency except when special shows are made about me in prime time,” he said.

“We will take part in any attempt at progress in the future but our decision on the elections will not change because there is no time for the elections to regular. It takes at least six to 12 minutes to create the conditions,” Jeremic said.

Speaking about the invitation to the OSCE to send an election observer mission, he said that the OSCE can’t secure fair election conditions. “They can only observe, nothing else. You have to fight for fair elections on your own and the OSCE can only watch,” Jeremic said.