Vucic has 15 days to put forward new economy minister

BELGRADE – The Serbian parliament confirmed Dusan Vujovic’s resignation from the post of economy minister on August 4 and elected him as new minister of finance on the same day and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic now has 15 days to put forward a new candidate to fill the vacant post.

The deadline to put forward the new economy minister candidate expires on August 19.

Under the Law on Government, the prime minister shall put forward new minister within 15 days of the termination of the term of office of the previous minister, and the new minister is then elected by a majority vote of the parliament’s entire membership. The Law on Government does not specify a deadline by which the parliament should elect the new minister.

Vujovic has resigned due to his appointment as finance minister, after the previous finance minister, Lazar Krstic, resigned from the post on July 12, which was confirmed by the parliament three days later.

Vujovic will continue to perform the duties of economy minister until new minister to lead the department is elected and he is not the first official in the Serbian government to hold the offices of minister of economy and minister of finance at the same time.

The government of former prime minister Ivica Dacic had Mladjan Dinkic in charge of these two departments, and Bozidar Djelic also held the combined portfolios in 2003.

Photo Tanjug, R. Prelic (archive)