Brnabic: SPS and SPAS will join the new government, we need unity

Photo: Tanjug/Slobodan Miljevic

Ana Brnabic, who has been given the mandate to put together a new government of the Republic of Serbia, spoke last night about the priorities of future work and the biggest challenges in the coming period, but also about an increase of salaries and pensions, changes in the Constitution, the Kosovo issue and the stagnation in Serbia's EU membership bid.

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"The SNS made a decision immediately after the June 21 elections to certainly invite national minorities into the government with us, we'll see whether that will be a government that includes all parties or not. What is important is that it will be a government that will gather both the SPS and SPAS, and that at this moment the SNS wanted to share the responsibility once again, that is, to call on all of us to push Serbia forward for the sake of that national unity," said Brnabic.

She also commented on the coronavirus crisis and economic turmoil, which is why the SNS "needs everyone to gather together."

"It would be the smartest and best for Serbia, not for the SNS. We call on our citizens to fight together. We want to come out of this difficult year as European leaders in economic growth, as a country with the lowest public debt and the highest level of investment, rising employment and declining unemployment," she added.

In 2021, the world will be faced with the coronavirus crisis, but also with an even bigger economic crisis, she said.

"We must find a way to get through that 2021 as well, without rising unemployment like in many other countries. This government will have absolutely full capacity, absolute support in the Assembly, it will be able to do much more than the previous government I headed. On the other hand, if we don't manage to do well next year, others should come who could do it better," said Brnabic, referring to the possibility of early parliamentary elections.

She stressed that she could not talk about who will be the president of the Assembly.

"We spoke about our previous cooperation and how many ministries Dacic and Markovic think they should have, and how it would fit into all the priorities we have. This is about what we can do for the citizens of Serbia, and that is the only thing that interests me," she said and added that the new government will start working by October 28.

"There will be a significant number of new faces"

The position of the SNS when it comes to personnel decisions will be announced on Sunday. When asked if she has her own proposals and what percentage of new people will be in her cabinet, Brnabic said that her knowledge is that of the PM-designate and a member of the SNS Presidency.

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

"There will be a significant number of new people in the government and that will be known on Sunday. So the quality of these people, the energy and the experience is important. I think we will have close to 50 percent of women, as suggested by Aleksandar Vucic."

Complete composition of new government on Sunday

A meeting of the SNS Presidency was held on Tuesday after which President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic announced that SPS leader and current Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will be the new President of the Serbian Assembly, and that six basic goals of the new government have been defined that include, among other things, the decision to hold parliamentary elections along with the presidential vote on April 3, 2022 at the latest.

(Telegraf.rs)