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Protests in Serbia Archive
Serbian Renewal Movement: News of Feb. 19

19th February, 1997

Agreement on forming the city government reached

A candidate for the mayor of Belgrade will be Zoran Djindjic, president of Democratic Party (DP); candidate for the president of the Executive Board will be Spasoje Krunic, president of the Belgrade Serbian Renewal Movement (SRM) Board, who is also a member of the Presidency of this Party.

As the leaders of the Coalition ZAJEDNO agreed, seats in the City Parliament will be distributed in such way that both parties, SRM and DP, will get 7 seats each in Executive Board , and the Civic Alliance of Serbia will get one place in the Board.

Unofficially, among the candidates for the new Belgrade Government are: Alexandar Milutinovic, Misa Ranjelovic and Alexandar Cotric. The Vice-Presi- dent of the Belgrade Government would be Milan Bozic, counsellor of the SRM president; the chief of the Cabinet of the new Mayor would be Goran Vesic, the current DP President Zoran Djindjic's chief of the Cabinet.

At the meeting, which will be held today, political functions in the Belgrade Government will be distributed between the Parties of the Coalition.

Spokesman of the SRM, Ivan Kovacevic, giving a comment on the suggestions for the members of the new Belgrade Government, said that he was pleased with the choice of the people that are going to be in new Government and that the most important thing is that those people are professionalists and right for those places.

Students continue the protest

Yesterday's action of the Belgrade University students named "Reconstruction of the crime" was violently terminated. While the students were marking with the chalk actual places where the incidents during past 89 days of the protest happened, a man drove his car right into the crowd of the students at full speed. The security that tried to stop the car were practically run over and after the car was stopped, the driver drew out a knife which he used to hurt one of the students. Because of this incident the students' action finished so the students started the usual walk in the streets of Belgrade.

After the meeting of the Belgrade students and the Deans who support the students with the Minister of Education, the students decided that they won't return to classrooms until all their demands are fulfilled and the Rector Velickovic and student Vice/President Djurdjevic resign.

Fifth day of teachers' strike

Today, precisely at noon on the fifth day of the strike, teachers of primary and secondary schools will gather in front of the building of the Republic Government. Reasons for this gathering, among other things, is the announce- ment given out by the Government on the public tv that "raising the price of teaching would cause hyperinflation". In this strike already participate 1800 out of 2200 primary and secondary schools in Serbia.

The strike of the teachers was caused by bad financial situation in which the teachers have been for some time. The situation was caused not only by low wages, but also because those low wages were not paid out in last couple of months.

Teachers of Belgrade will be joined by the teachers of about 50 secondary and primary schools of Vojvodina who want to give full support to their colleagues in Belgrade.

Changes in the local governments of the Socialist Party of Serbia

In the cities where the OSCE report confirmed the victory of the Coalition ZAJEDNO, and after the adoption of the special law (Lex specialis), many local leaders of SPS resigned.

In Kikinda the whole Municipal Committee of SPS resigned because of loosing the local elections. This Committee gave out an announcement in which they stated that their resignations represent a moral act caused the results on the local elections.

Collective resignations were submitted in the local organizations of SPS in following cities: Smederevska Palanka, Jagodina, Leskovac and Pancevo. It is expected that changes in SPS will happen in those municipalities and cities where the Coalition ZAJEDNO won the 17th November local elections in 1996.

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