The real state of affairs in Nišava

The political scene in Niš before and after the official election date was announced did not remain unchanged. Some of the candidates for councilors decided to boycott the upcoming election race, and some started collecting signatures at the last minute. Niš also expects a certain change of mayor, because the current mayor of Niš, Dragana Sotirovski, is not on the electoral list of her party.

The first official election list submitted to the City Election Commission in Niš is the list "Aleksandar Vučić - Niš sutra". It consists of the Serbian Progressive Party with the most candidates for councilors (49 out of 61), followed by the Socialist Party of Serbia, the Social Democratic Party of Serbia, the Party of United Pensioners, Farmers and Proletarians of Serbia - Solidarity and Justice, United Serbia, the Serbian Radical Party, the Socialist Movement and Serbian party Zavetnici. The holder of this list and the official candidate for mayor is Dragoslav Pavlović - former director of PUK "Medijana", assistant to the former mayor of Nis, Darko Bulatović, and employee of the Electric Power Company of Serbia.

Second on the list is the president of the SPS City Committee, Igor Novaković, who told "Vreme" two months ago - when it was not certain whether the SNS and SPS would participate in the local elections in Nis together - that the decision depends only on the president of those parties (Milos Vučević and Ivica Dačić). Now that the decision has been made, he said that he also wondered about that decision and said that "politically, it is most logical for the city government to follow the republican government". Novakovic two months ago, at least that's what he told "Vreme" at the time, they weren't even interested in the "side partners of the SNS", as he called the Zavetniks. What has changed since then, Novaković was unable to explain to us.

VISION "REVIVAL" OUR MILITIA

In addition to Dragoslav Pavlović and Igor Novaković, the former close associate of cardiac surgeon Dragan Milić is leading the list, and he is entering the elections with the list of "Citizens' Group - Dr. Dragan Milić" as the fourth in line. The doctor in question is Milan Lazarevic, the son of general and Hague prisoner Vladimir Lazarevic. According to Juzne vesti, he entered the SNS while the Cardiosurgery Clinic in Nis, where he worked with Milić, was "cleaning up" the waiting lists by allowing the doctors of that clinic to operate for free for 12 weekends in a row. Then, on the X SNS platform, he wished "welcome to the family" to Milan Lazarevic, who, by the way, almost a year before joining the party, refused to be the assistant director of the Clinical Center in Niš - the progressive and former mayor of Niš, Zoran Perišić.

By the way, last week, Dr. Dragan Milić was dismissed from the Faculty of Medicine in Niš after the Committee for Writing the Report determined that he does not meet the requirements to become a full professor at the faculty. Milić believes that the reason for his dismissal was "political" and that the members of that commission were "blackmailed". The collegium of the Faculty of Medicine replied to "Danasu" that this decision has nothing to do with politics, but that "doctor Milić is using his choice for political purposes".

The list "Aleksandar Vučić - Niš sutra" includes the man who nominated Milosevic for the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as other people from Niš. We are talking about the socialist Mile Ilić, the former president of the Council for the Development of the City of Nis, who was number 11 on this election list. By the way, Ilic was connected to election theft in 1996, which contributed to his being removed from all positions within the Socialist Party of Serbia. What he is remembered for is the fact that after the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he proposed that former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Next to him on the list is the director of the Niš Student Center, Rade Rajković (Socialist Movement), who has been in that position for 18 years, which "Vreme" wrote about in an article about the construction of a student dormitory in Niš, which has been going on for 15 years.

The only "pledger" on the list is pensioner Vladimir Stanojević, who was asked why the Pledgers do not have more candidates for councilors in Nis and why they, as well as candidates for councilors from other parties that also have one representative on the list ( PUPS, SDPS, SRS, Movement of Socialists) suppressed by the progressives, replied that the number of positions is not important to them, but the intention that "the participation of the Covenanters in the government is recognized as a contribution to the quality of life of Nišli". Stanojević believes that of all the problems of Niš and its inhabitants, the most important issue is the demography of this city.

"We are planning to start the process of reviving this area in cooperation and with the help of the Minister for Family Care and Demography, Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski. We have completed studies and concrete plans for young married couples with special occupations that fit into the vision of our Milica", writes Vladimir Stanojević in his reply to the weekly "Vreme".

What, among other things, surprised a part of the public is that, in addition to Dragana Sotirovski, neither the current president of the City Assembly, Boban Džunić, nor the former mayors of Niš, Zoran Perišić and Darko Bulatović, are on this list. The questions that "Vreme" sent to the e-mail address of the Serbian Progressive Party were left floating in the air, since we did not receive any answers. Even the holder of the list, Dragoslav Pavlović, did not want to answer our calls or respond to our messages.

"WE CHOOSE NIŠ" AND WE DON'T CHOOSE

Four of the seven parties that made up the former coalition "Serbia against violence" decided that they should still go to the elections on June 2, despite the fact that one part of the former coalition believes that their path should be different.

"The fabrication of the list of minority parties, the voter list and the lack of confidence that the Serbian Progressive Party will allow free and fair elections to take place, since they would lose in such elections, are the main indicators that these elections were stolen in advance," says Jelena for "Vreme". Milošević, member of the Freedom and Justice Party in the National Assembly. He adds that none of ODIHR's recommendations have been fulfilled.

The new coalition "Biramo Niš", without the Freedom and Justice Party, Serbia Center and the "Together" coalition, consists of the National Movement of Serbia, the Democratic Party, the Green-Left Front and the Movement of Free Citizens, and the members of the coalition as individuals are the president of the "Together" GO ” Slaviša Dinić and the president of Niš Dveri Tamara Milenković Kerković.

Two weeks ago, as they claim from this coalition, when they were supposed to submit the lists for the municipal elections in the three municipalities of Nis, Pantelei, Medijana and Palilula, the Russian party took over the order of submitting the lists. Namely, from the "Biramo Niš" coalition, they announced their arrival eight hours earlier, as determined by the Municipal Election Commission, and they were told that no one had called before them. However, when they got to the Commission, they found out that the Russian party had done it before them. In the elections for councilors in the City Assembly, "Biramo Niš" will be under number 2, and for municipal elections under number 3.

photo: we choose Nis / Instagram

"It was in their interest to move us from another place in order to confuse potential and future voters," points out the holder of the list "Biramo Niš" and candidate for mayor Đorđe Stanković and adds that the coalition is preparing criminal charges. Even the police reacted to their report that they found people sorting electoral lists in Palilule MEC, which was also reported to the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office.

The head of the electoral staff of this coalition, Miloš Nešić, assessed that the Russian party handed over to the election commission a "100% forgery", because, as he stated, the Russian party handed over the initials of the signatories without the names of the officers in charge of certifying the signatures.

Former radical and holder of the list "Russian Party - Russia and Nis in the Heart" Tihomir Perić tells "Vreme" that he did not submit a list for participation in the elections for the City of Nis because, as he says, "my people took down the forms that are correct for me, but for GIK and other commissions of city municipalities they are not". He says that they "created a mess" because he was not interested in paying attention to the codes in the header of the forms, on which it is written to which commission the forms, with the submission of the list, are submitted, which is why they submitted the wrong forms. He adds that it is not clear to him why the "Biramo Niš" coalition accuses him of falsifying the list and that if they provide at least one piece of evidence, the Russian party will withdraw the list. All in all, GIK officially recognized this list as well.

photo: kreni.promeni.nis / instagram

WHO DOESN'T WANT TO WAKE UP CHEATED

Only a week before the deadline for handing in the papers, the "Go-Change" movement got involved in collecting signatures to participate in the local elections in Nis. The holder of the "I am Niš" list, sociologist, poet and whistleblower from the Faculty of Arts in Niš, Vladimir Stanimirović, states that one of the reasons for this movement's participation in the upcoming local elections is the "shedding of the opposition".

"In Niš, the SNS is beheaded and not to strike a blow to such a giant on glass legs would be unacceptable," underlined Stanimirović for "Vreme".

He says that the movement is open to all post-election coalitions and collaborations, but only with parties that have not and will not support SNS or any other party in power. Accordingly, after the elections, if they win the majority, they would enter into a coalition with a party, because they believe that they cannot form a government on their own.

"Nish is primarily young people and people who so far did not want to get dirty in party engagements. These are people who want change. The vast majority of my friends and I have always voted for change. Most often, after the election, we woke up deceived. We went to Niš and we hope to change a lot", Vladimir Stanimirović assesses.

By the way, in addition to the aforementioned parties and coalitions, the list "United - Hope for Niš" will be in front of the citizens of Niš at the polling stations, which consists of the New DSS, the coalition "Niš, my city", the People's Party, the Social Democratic Party, Enough is Enough and the Democratic Union of Roma. .

At number seven is the "Za naš Niš" list of the "Snaga" coalition, which has the status of a national minority list, and it consists of six representatives of the Party of Montenegrins, three representatives from the Civic Party of Greeks of Serbia and a candidate of the Bosniak Civic Party. Another minority list will be on the voting papers in Niš under number nine, and the list in question is "United for the Village and the City - let's be clean", submitted by the Green Party of Serbia. Among the last announced lists are the lists "The voice of the people is the strength of the people" and "Niš our city - New face of Serbia - Branislav Jovanović".

Voters at "zero" addresses and amendments to the Law on the Unified Voter List

As reported by "Danas", member of parliament in the new convocation and SSP official Jelena Milošević says that the amendments to the Law on the Single Voter List will certainly not solve the problem of a large number of voters registered at addresses with the number "zero". The parties SRCE and SSP previously stated that in Niš alone, a total of 11.563 voters were registered with false addresses, of which 476 were registered.

Mainly, some are worried about the demographic situation of Nis, and others, whether Nis will become as beautiful and tourist strong as Ljubljana. While all these questions are in front of Nisli, many are wondering whether they will wake up on June 3 changed or deceived. Is it - as writer Robin McKinley would say - sometimes it's better not to know.