Jelena Vujanović, a Doctor of Political Science and Vice-President of the New Democratic Party of Serbia (NDSS), answered some questions concerning the Serbian elections today.
In Serbia, the current leader is Aleksandar Vučić from the Serbian Progressive Party. The left considers him center-right and national-conservative. Vučić has served successively as deputy prime minister, prime minister, and president since 2012. The biggest competitor in today’s election is the Student List, the student-led movement in Serbia.
NewsVoice: How does this election differ from other previous elections in Serbia? What is at stake for the country right now?
Jelena Vujanović: We are currently seeing high levels of tension in society, greater than in any election in recent years. That is why I believe the stakes are higher: how to ensure a peaceful transition of power, if that is the election outcome, and what direction we take once the elections are over.
If NDSS wins the elections (even if not realistic), how would the party change Serbia, broadly speaking?
Jelena Vujanović: Within a proportional representation system, and taking our actual strength into account, we do not expect a ”victory” in the sense of securing an absolute majority; rather, we expect our share of the vote to be a crucial factor, without which no change in government can take place.
The core of our policy consists of sovereignist themes: the defense of Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia; the protection of Serbs in Republika Srpska and the wider region; the protection of the family, defined as consisting of a mother and a father, rather than some abstract ”Parent 1” and ”Parent 2”, and the protection of the country against uncontrolled migration.
If the right wing wins the elections, how do you think the general population would receive the outcome?
Jelena Vujanović: According to many studies, the population in Serbia actually leans more to the right, specifically regarding issues of sovereignty, migration, and the traditional family. The problem is that the ruling party is a ”catch-all” coalition which, often under the guise of nationalism, actually implements a left-leaning EU agenda.
If the left wins the elections, what would that mean for Serbia’s future?
Jelena Vujanović: It will be strange for your readers, but in these elections we do not have a classic left-right division. We now have two catch-all parties, the ruling SNS and the challenger Student List, which also has significant left-wing currents.
And there we are as the only clearly right-wing party in these elections.
Related
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