Things are clear in Brussels. We are slightly surprised by the amount of information that European Union officials have about the issues Serbian democracy is facing. They are aware of what the electoral fraud looked like, they know that the most brutal theft was carried out and we no longer talk with them about what happened, but how to fundamentally change things in Serbia, says Radomir Lazović in an interview for NIN; he visited Brussels to talk with the EU representatives, as a member of the delegation of the Serbia against violence (SPN) electoral list.
Branislav Nedimović, hit a motorcyclist with his car on September 8, 2022, severely injuring him.
How did your recent talks at the EU headquarters go?
We discussed the situation in Serbia, in other words, the crisis after the electoral fraud, with high representatives of the EEAS (European External Action Service), who are in charge of the EU foreign policy, with Mr. Lajčak, Mr. Miller from the European Commission, with many highest-ranking officials, etc. Things are clear in Brussels, first the Government of Serbia invited international observers, the OSCE, ODIHR, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, local observers from Crta were also present, they all drew up reports and we were given assurances that the EU have fully realized that there was a multiple violation of law and the electoral will of the citizens.
We also had a resolution of the European Parliament that clearly states what happened in the elections. It is perfectly clear that people in the EU want changes in Serbia. They assured us that, if there are no changes, then the further European integration and opening of new clusters might be called into question.
What are the next steps of your coalition?
We will continue, and we are not halfway there yet, to talk with the representatives of the EU, but also individually with the representatives of the member states of the Union, in order to try to exploit the energy and desire to make changes in the coming period. We are having discussions with our European partners on how to prevent Serbia to turn away from democracy, or at least from the desire for democracy, towards an authoritarian state where Vučić would pull all the strings.
NIN / Snežana Krstić
What do you expect to be the next steps of the EU regarding the elections in Serbia?
The processes have already started. We are not talking about something that will happen in the future, they are already deeply involved in the research of electoral manipulation. After the ODIHR report, there will be new, clear positions on electoral fraud, and I also expect that we will soon receive a visit from representatives of the European Commission, which we requested.
Do you believe that after the ODIHR report, something will change and advance when it comes to elections? Will there be pressure on the government to agree to a repeat election?
We talked about the best ways to bring about changes in Serbia. The investigation into the electoral fraud is only one of the elements, but it is much more important that changes occur so that this does not happen again. The investigation is important in order to determine the responsibility for everything that happened, and particularly for this innovative, brutal theft by altering the electoral register. But it is much more important for us to bring about changes that will not allow them to do something like this in the next election. There is enough evidence of theft, but more important than the investigation is the change itself. We have addressed the European Parliament and we expect them to establish an international mission, rather than the European Commission (EC), but we will also demand the EC to formally join the process of finding a solution to the crisis in Serbia.
What if the authorities in Belgrade reject the international investigation?
We received assurances from the EC that any unwillingness by the authorities to accept, not only the investigation, but also the fundamental changes, would be perceived as slipping from the path of the European integration. Even without an investigation, they are already demanding that all ODIHR’s demands be met, which is also our request, but particularly those that pertain to the electoral register.
President Vučić stated that there are lies in the EP resolution, but also that he is waiting for the OSCE (ODIHR) report before announcing any steps. How do you explain that?
Vučić is trying to buy time and therefore says that he is not interested in the EP Resolution. However, 461 members voted for the EP resolution, including those who traditionally supported him, not only the members from among the Greens and the Liberals, but also Social Democrats and the members from among the European People’s Party. Even the members from the parties of Macron, Mitsotakis, Sanchez, etc. voted for the resolution. Consensus has almost been achieved that there was a massive electoral fraud in Serbia. If Vučić is not interested in that, we, as a society, are facing a serious problem.
What is your position about the requirements for the elections demanded by Provote (Proglas)? Do you agree to these requirements or, as a politician, have another requirement for future elections?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Crta for the enormous effort they made to prove the electoral fraud, but also to all other civil society organizations, which in this situation demonstrated why they are important. On the other hand, I would also like to thank Proglas for the requirements they set down, which we absolutely support. As the opposition, we agree with the requirements made by Proglas and Crta, they coincide with our requirements, which we expanded to the technical level in order to bring about specific changes.
NIN / Snežana Krstić
What are the relations in the coalition Serbia against violence today? Are there any talks about raising cooperation to a higher level, increasing the degree of integration, and perhaps a complete merge into one party, with 25 percent of the citizens’ support?
We in the SPN coalition had to rely on one another due to the hostile atmosphere in the Parliament in the past year and a half, then we organized protests together after the mass murders that really deeply shook our society and we went to the elections together. We achieved the best result in the parliamentary elections in the last 12 years, we won in Belgrade, but the victory has been stolen from us. Obviously, there is a reason for cooperation and I think this is good. On the other hand, our organizations have differences and we do not hide these differences, but use them as an advantage in order to attract as many voters as possible for our coalition. I am not sure that it would be in our interest to merge into one political organization, but we from the Green-Left Front (ZLF) will be committed to preserving the coalition.
The authorities say that EXPO is a great development opportunity for Serbia, while its opponents say that it will be used to promote the regime…
Perhaps in another country, organizing EXPO could be used for progress, but this is not the case in Serbia, because this is a project characterized by massive corruption, aimed at draining public funds to the pockets of people close to the SNS. We are fully aware of this, and we, as a parliamentary group of the Green-Left Front, will propose the formation of a parliamentary commission to investigate corrupt actions on this project.
Should Serbia impose sanctions on Russia?
As far as the Green-Left Front is concerned, we believe that Serbia should harmonize its foreign policy with the policy of the European Union, not only in relation to Russia, but also in all other matters. We believe that this would be useful for Serbia, because we want to be part of the European family.
The issue of Kosovo and Metohija is one of the most difficult issues in Serbia. Is there a solution and how can we at least work towards a solution?
In the coalition Serbia against violence, we do not have a unified position on this issue, however the future of the citizens of Kosovo and particularly of the citizens of Serbian nationality is the most important issue for us. As far as the Green-Left Front is concerned, we believe that the proposal put forward by Germany and France could be useful, if it included the formation of the Union of Serbian Municipalities and the essential protection of the rights of Serbs and our cultural heritage, and hence an essential autonomy in the areas of health, education, local self-governments, etc.
