SDP leader: Upcoming election is illegitimate, another one must take place

“Vucic did not want to postpone the election by applying a lex specialis,” Tadic said, referring to a law governing a specific subject matter.
“But he did not refrain from that solution when it was supposed to legalise robbery and the suspension of the legal system in the case of the ‘Belgrade Waterfront’ and Savamala,” he said.

The Belgrade Waterfront and Savamala are neighbourhoods in the Serbian capital that are undergoing major constructions thanks to foreign investments, mainly from the United Arab Emirates. The projects were heavily criticized, particularly Savamala because of the government’s ruthless overnight removal of private objects that stood there before.

“Now the only solution is for all of the conditions the opposition put forward to be met immediately after this illegitimate election and to call for a new election nine months later. This would be the premise for the return of democracy and the establishment of the true legitimacy of the government,” Tadic told Blic.

He said that the “constructive opposition” such as the Liberal Democratic party of Cedomir Jovanovic and the leader of the Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Seselj can not make the election legitimate. He also said that parties which have decided to participate in elections or those which have not yet decided whether they will boycott them can not be described as ‘fake opposition’.

“I keep saying that the decision to boycott cannot be an instrument for declaring ‘traitors’ all those who, even in such circumstances, fight against Vucic in the election,” said Tadic, whose party is among those calling for a boycott.

He added that unifying the Democratic Party (DS) is more important in the long term than all other issues within the opposition. He said that this process is progressing slowly, but that this is still better than to make mistakes which later can not be fixed.