Splits Damage Serbian Opposition's Hopes of Winning Belgrade

The chances of Serbia's opposition parties uniting into one formidable bloc have greatly receded after two key players, the Free Citizens' Movement and the Democratic Party, broke off their alliance.

The opposition was now in danger of splitting into two blocs, strengthening the hand of the government led by the Serbian Progressive Party, analysts told BIRN.

"It seems that [the opposition's] strategy is under a big question mark," Boban Stojanovic, from the Faculty for Political Sciences, said.

The Citizens Movement, led by former Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, on Wednesday said it was breaking off its partnership because of the Democrats' willingness to cooperate with the ruling Progressive Party on the issue of changing the constitution.

Serbia is obliged to enact certain changes to the constitution in order to join the European Union.

The Democratic Party responded by saying that their proposals for constitutional changes only concerned the judicial reforms sought by the EU - and that they were still against what they called President Aleksandar Vucic's "oligarchy".

However, Stojanovic told BIRN he does not believe the Democrats' willingness to cooperate with Vucic on the constitution was the only reason for the split.

"The cause could be the Free Citizens' Movement desire to cooperate with [former presidential candidate] Vuk Jeremic and with the 'Enough is Enough' Movement," Stojanovic said.

Jeremic, who has announced that he intends to form his own political party this autumn, has insisted that he will not be working with the Democratic Party.

"The future organisation that Vuk Jeremic will head wants to cooperate only with those movements and parties that are truly in opposition, and do not collaborate with...

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