Europe

Home page

Europe

Serbian parties reach coalition deal to form new gov’t

11 July 2012 04:07 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Serbian political parties signed on Tuesday a coalition deal to form a new government after almost two months of negotiations, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The agreement would see Ivica Dacic, the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) as the presumptive prime minister. His party finished a distance third in the elections, but without whose support a government could not be formed.

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won the most seats followed by the former governing party the Democratic Party (DS), which would not accept Dacic’s demands for the position of prime minister. Dacic was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in the former government.

The agreement among the leaders of the SNS, SPS and a number of regional parties called for "common political goals" underscoring the need for a national economic policy, respect for the rule of law, and the fight against corruption. Regional development and decentralization were also highlighted.

With respect to the disputed issue of Kosovo, the new coalition partners said they would not recognize the independence of the Serbian province, but would seek the normalization of life for all residents of Kosovo.

The agreement further called for a peaceful resolution of Kosovo’s status with respect of democratic principles.

Local media sources speculate the new government could be formed within two weeks.