Who will leave cabinet, and who will stay? This is what the new Serbian government could look like

Illustration: Nikola Jovanovic; Photo: Shutterstock

Serbia will soon get its new executive branch, and there will be a lot of new people in it. The new composition of the government is not known, but Aleksandar Vucic, as the president of the party that won the most votes in the elections on June 21, pointed out on several occasions that there will be a plenty of new people in it.

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Some ministers have stood out with good results, some not so much, and for that reason for weeks now the names of those who could pack their bags and move out of 11 Nemanjina Street are being mentioned, but also of those who will remain but continue their work in a different department.

Who is leaving Nemanjina Street, and who is staying, but changing departments?

Apart from the new people, who have been announced on several occasions by President Vucic, some of the previous ministers will stay in Nemanjina in their old jobs, some of them will change departments, while some people who have participated in running the City thus far could join the new government.

One of them, as Telegraf has learned from a top government source, is the current president of the Municipality of Savski Venac, Irena Vujovic, who could take over the Ministry of Environmental Protection from Goran Trivan.

Rasim Ljajic, who headed the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications for the past four years will not keep his ministerial position either, which Ljajic himself has confirmed.

"There are several reasons, and two are key. The first is the fact that I announced it two years ago and repeated it several times later. The second reason are the frequent accusations coming from my political opponents and the local opposition that I am in every government and that I am the eternal minister," said Ljajic.

Rasim Ljajic; Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic

Maja Gojkovic could replace her current position of the National Assembly president with the Ministry of Culture, some media have reported, but she has not yet commented on that.

It's unknown whether there will be a change in the Ministry of Defense, but current Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said that he is ready for any possible changes and that "he does not have to be a minister in the government, because times change, politics change, other people and foreign policy priorities arrive."

"Minister of Defense, that is the highest degree you can reach in politics. After that, I don't have to be anything, I never have to be in politics again," he said and added that he would turn to writing and journalism.

Aleksandar Vulin; Photo: Ministry of Defense

Apart from the new faces, it is increasingly certain that there will be differently composed departments, and the Ministry of Construction is one of the first where this could happen.

Namely, the media recently reported that Marko Blagojevic, director of the Office for Public Investment Management, is one of the more serious candidates to become the new Minister of Construction and Infrastructure, while current Minister Zorana Mihajlovic will probably move to the Ministry of Energy that she previously headed from 2012 until 2014.

Technical government has mandate until November 3, new prime minister to be named soon

The outgoing, technical government has mandate until November 3, and President Vucic has pointed out that he expects the new government to be formed by the end of September.

Current events in the country, but also abroad, from the continuation of the dialogue in Brussels to the meeting in Washington and the signing of an economic agreement with Pristina at the White House, all influenced negotiations on the composition of the new government. However, Vucic stressed, it will certainly be formed within the legal deadline set by the Constitution of Serbia.

The name of the new prime minister, which President Vucic should announce according to his constitutional powers, is the main topic in political circles. While most people see current Prime Minister Ana Brnabic as the most likely choice, she does not want to confirm or deny that.

Ana Brnabic and Aleksandar Vucic; Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic

"I cannot speak about the name of the prime minister, because I don't decide about that, the president of Serbia does. No one is sitting idly," she said recently.

Will the Socialists stay in the government or join the opposition?

As much as the current topic is the "handing out" of ministries, another one has been debated since the elections: whether the Socialists will stay in Nemanjina Street or join the ranks of the opposition.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic has said that his Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) is ready to continue cooperation with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), but that the decision is up to the Progressives, i.e., President Vucic.

Asked if he expects to be the head of diplomacy in the new Serbian government, he said that he still wants to "play in the Champions League" and that he will not go to another league.

"We are all aware that Vucic and the SNS have the majority even without us. The decision will definitely be made by the winner. Now, the session of the Assembly should continue, so that the prime minister-designate can be appointed." said Dacic.

(Telegraf.rs)