Ruling party "won't strengthen if it works for Serbia"

Ruling party "won't strengthen if it works for Serbia"

BELGRADE -- A recent initiative to unite the opposition is, in its scope, a storm in a teacup, says Transparency Serbia Director Vladimir Goati.

"Whatever happens there, it will not have a huge impact given the current weakness of the opposition. Before the next dealing of the cards in elections, it will not significantly change things in Serbian politics," this analyst told the daily Večernje Novosti.

The Serbian political scene is "extremely asymmetric," Goati noted, and added:

"There is a giant made up of the ruling parties, and a totally fragmented and powerless democratic option, and here I am primarily referring to the DS. And within itself, I do not know why, bitter struggles are still ongoing."

He went on to explain the situation with "great dissatisfaction of the people with what the DS, as once the key party of the ruling coalition, has done, or has not done."

"What happened to the DS was not members escaping to other parties, especially to the NDS, but total abstinence of its sympathizers. A key effort that the DS must make is to reanimate these people, because half of Serbia did not turn out to vote," said Goati, referring to the parliamentary elections held in March.

He then added that if the ruling SNS party works for the good of Serbia - "it will not strengthen."

"If the SNS is working well for Serbia, it will simply not be able to strengthen, it will have to carry the entire burden of delayed economic reforms. All governments delayed it, now the SNS will have to do it and has already started. I see a sincere intention of SNS and Aleksandar Vučić to do it. The DS could benefit from the fact that the...