Citizens' assemblies are one of the rare forms of direct democracy in Serbia, but they are rarely used. Although the law allows them to be organized at the local level, data show that in the previous two decades they were active only in certain municipalities. Could the revival of this mechanism bring changes in the country's political life?
Students in the blockade yesterday they called on citizens to implement direct democracy, that, following the example of student plenums organize into assemblies because "the system of representative democracy in a corrupt and centralized state has failed."
"All citizens, who according to our Constitution are the irrevocable holders of sovereignty, should be included in the discussion and decision-making on the topic of the current crisis." That is why we invite you to turn to the local self-governments and organize independently according to the model of direct democracy - through the body of the citizens' assembly provided for by law", urged the students in the blockade in a letter to the people of Serbia.
The students blocking the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) announced today that certain interest groups are putting individual pressure on the students and advocating the idea of an emergency government for which they expect the support of the student plenums.
"The question of state organization does not concern only students, but the people, and therefore the proposal to form an ex-pret government is not and must not be our competence only. It is an initiative for the National Assembly or better assemblies of citizens," said FDU students in the blockade.
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What are citizens' assemblies?
The Law on Local Self-Government of Serbia states that the forms of direct participation of citizens in the realization of local self-government are citizens' initiative, assembly of citizens and referendum.
As further stated, the assembly of citizens is convened for a part of the territory of the local self-government unit determined by the statute.
"The assembly of citizens discusses and makes proposals on issues within the jurisdiction of the local self-government unit. The assembly of citizens adopts requests and proposals by the majority of votes present and sends them to the assembly or individual bodies and services of the local self-government unit. The authorities and services of the local self-government unit are obliged to consider the demands and proposals of the citizens and take a position on them within 60 days from the holding of the citizens' assembly, that is, take the appropriate decision or measure and inform the citizens about it," the law states.
However, the method of convening the assembly of citizens, its work, as well as the method of determining the positions of the assembly is regulated by the statute and decision of each municipal assembly.
In the Cesid analysis from 2011, it is stated that the assembly of citizens is convened as needed for a local community, a part of a local community or several local communities in the manner determined by the municipal statute.
The latest data from the same survey by Cesid shows that in the period from 2002 to 2011, citizens' assemblies from which a request was made were held in 35 different municipalities or cities in Serbia.
At that time, the largest number of organized assemblies of citizens was in two municipalities from the south of Serbia - Aleksinac (219) and Ražnje (207), and a higher percentage of organized assemblies was also recorded in Mionica and Smederevo.
As they stated at the time, more than 80 percent of all gatherings organized in Serbia during the previous nine years were held in these four local governments, and among the citizens' gatherings there were no largest centers in Serbia - Belgrade, Novi Sad or Niš.
"Political demands (in different forms), especially those concerning the election of the Council of Local Communities, were formulated dominantly at the gatherings." The frequent organization of citizens' assemblies with the aim of influencing changes in the Council of the Ministry of Health indicates that citizens are often not satisfied with actors at the level of local self-government, their activities, decisions or future plans. Among other topics, we can single out requests for the introduction of self-contributions in certain local communities, construction and repair of streets/roads and numerous communal problems (water supply, sewage, water supply, communal equipment...)", Cesid's analysis from 14 years ago points out.
Can the demands of students and the opposition be resolved at assemblies?
Milan Jovanović, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, explains to Vreme that citizens' assemblies are classified as forms of direct democracy and that they were widespread especially in the socialist period.
"Citizens launch various initiatives on them - from communal topics, traffic, roads, electricity... mostly local self-government topics." Citizens' assemblies in this sense, as an institute, have an effect when people organize themselves for something vital, and through assemblies, they draw the attention of the local self-government. They are an excellent opportunity for citizens, although in our country, as a form of direct democracy, they are narrowed down, unlike a referendum," Jovanović notes.
Regarding the appeal of students in the blockade to citizens to organize themselves into assemblies, Professor FPN points out that these are political demands and that there is a possibility that local governments will say that they are not competent for these issues.
"Students are probably trying to relax the pressure that is expected of them and say - we don't have to do everything," Vremen's interlocutor assesses.
Statutes of local self-governments on citizens' assemblies
In the statute of the City of Belgrade, it is emphasized that the assembly of citizens is convened for the area of the local community or other form of local self-government.
"The assembly of citizens is convened by the president of the local community, i.e. another form of local self-government, or a person authorized by the act of the local community, i.e. another form of local self-government, at least 15 days before the assembly. The convenor is obliged to call the assembly of citizens at the request of 10 percent of voters residing in the area for which the assembly of citizens is being convened," the capital's regulations state.
In Smederevo, it is stated that the assembly of citizens can be convened by the mayor, the president of the city assembly, an authorized representative of the local community or a group of at least 50 citizens who reside in the area for which the assembly is convened. In order to discuss issues of interest to the entire local community, it is added, a meeting of citizens can be held if at least 10 percent of citizens who have the right to vote attend the meeting.
"If the required number of citizens from the previous paragraph are not present at the assembly at the scheduled time, after 30 minutes have passed, the assembly can be held if at least 50 citizens are present," the rules in Smederevo state.
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