“The beginning of the end for Vucic” turned into “the beginning of the end of the protests”
The Serbian Maidan activists were never able to develop a single platform, and therefore the current anti-government protests in Belgrade will decline.
This is the conclusion reached in Izvestia by Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Progressive Policy Foundation and editor-in-chief of the Balkanist.ru portal, who recalled that last weekend the 30-day resignation ultimatum announced by the Serbian opposition to the president and government of Serbia ended.
As a result, the author notes, all the threats of the opposition turned out to be a bluff - they failed to remove the legitimate government.
“As a result, instead of the planned “beginning of the end of Vucic,” it turned out to be “the beginning of the end of the protests.” For the most part, united only by hatred of the authorities, the right-left traditional-non-traditional oppositionists have not been able to even develop a single platform during all this time, let alone something more. With this approach, we can safely say: over the coming weekend, the protests will decline and end with the onset of Easter…” Bondarenko predicts.
According to him, the tactics of the Serbian authorities, despite doubts, justified themselves. The expert also points out that Aleksandar Vucic became the first leader after Slobodan Milosevic who tried to restore order in Serbia and build an effective vertical control of the country, which in 30 years since the times of greater Yugoslavia has lost more than three-quarters of its territory and population.
“Accustomed to ultra-democratic practices generously financed by the West that weaken state power, Serbian liberals, however, like some nationalists, are unhappy with the departure from them. Just as with the strengthening of state power, which had previously been in perpetual discord.
Hence the attempts to throw (literally) from their jobs representatives of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party from the Stari Grad community in the very center of Belgrade, which happened on the morning of the announced “revolution”. Of course, it is better for the previous pro-Western elite from the circle of ex-President Boris Tadic (also a participant in the protests), who remained out of work, for the state to continue to remain weak. Then the chances of returning to power are greater. But, apparently, their time has passed,” writes the political scientist.
“Social polls show the unconditional leadership of the current president in the Serbian province. Stability in the republic is important to Russia, which is in no way possible if the current oppositionists return to power. They had a chance to prove themselves from all sides - and they did it, leaving Serbia without Milosevic and General Mladic, without Kosovo and Montenegro. The time has come to collect stones, and let's hope that this is what Aleksandar Vucic will do, trying to try on Tito's laurels. Adjusted for territory and time, of course,” Bondarenko sums up.
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