Serbia. Compra i missili terra-aria FK-3 della Cina.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-08-08.

«Serbia, which hopes to join the European Union, declared military neutrality in 2006 and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, though it does not seek full membership in the Western defence alliance»

«Serbia’s military is loosely based on former Soviet technology and in recent years Belgrade has procured MiG-29 fighter jets and missiles, helicopters, tanks and armoured personnel carriers from Russia»

«In late June, Serbia’s air force received six CH-92A combat drones armed with laser-guided missiles, the first such deployment of Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles in Europe»

«China has invested billions of euros in the Balkan country, mainly in soft loans, infrastructure and energy projects»

«Serbia has bought a new generation of medium-range, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles from China in a new sign of deepening cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade»

«Jugoimport SDPR said it made 163 import deals with 31 countries for $620.3 million in 2019. The weapons purchases included armed drones from China and Europe’s first known purchase of the FK-3»

*

Il “NATO Military Liaison Office” (NATO MLO) di Belgrado si colloca nel contesto della organizzazione di Comando e Controllo del JFC di Napoli con lo scopo principale di agevolare la cooperazione tra la NATO e le Forze Armate Serbe nell’ambito del “Partnership for Peace programme” dell’EAPC della NATO (Consiglio di partenariato euro-atlantico della NATO) del 2006 e delle Riforme nel settore della Difesa serba.

Nei confronti della Nato, la posizione della Serbia è ibrida. Vi aderisce per le missioni di pace, ma non fa formalmente parte della alleanza.

Questa posizione è stata ribadita anche di recente.

La Serbia ribadisce il no alla NATO.

«La scelta di neutralità militare della Serbia, che non intende aderire alla Nato né ad altre alleanze militari, è stata ribadita dal ministro della difesa Aleksandar Vulin.

«Finché sarà (il presidente) Aleksandar Vucic a guidare il Paese, e finché sarò io il ministro della difesa, la Serbia non sarà membro della Nato né aderirà ad altre alleanze militari», ha detto Vulin, che è leader del Movimento dei socialisti, una forza politica che fa parte della coalizione di governo.

Parlando a una manifestazione elettorale a Pozarevac, est di Belgrado, in vista delle elezioni del 21 giugno, il ministro della difesa è tornato a puntare il dito contro i bombardamenti aerei condotti dalla Nato nella primavera 1999 sulla Serbia di Slobodan Milosevic, raid che posero fine alla guerra del Kosovo.

«Nella giornata di oggi di 21 anni fa la Nato attuò uno dei crimini più efferati contro la popolazione civile. Sul ponte di Varvarin furono uccise donne, bambini, i più bravi studenti di matematica, furono uccisi i nostri figli», ha affermato Vulin. La Serbia, ha aggiunto, non cesserà mai di cercare le responsabilità, non dimenticherà mai né gli assassini né le loro vittime».»

A quell’epoca taluni ritenevano di essere i padroni del mondo, ma i sebi sono gente coriacea, con una ottima memoria.

«La Serbia …. non dimenticherà mai né gli assassini né le loro vittime»

Non desta quindi stupore che adesso la Serbia prosegua ad adottare armamenti difensivi russi e cinesi, che, tra l’altro, funzionano bene ed hanno bassi costi di acquisto e di manutenzione.

Però il problema politico ed umano rimane anche se ben pochi hanno voglia di parlarne.

*

---

Serbian purchase of missile defence system shows ties deepening with China.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia has bought a new generation of medium-range, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles from China in a new sign of deepening cooperation between Beijing and Belgrade.

The purchase of the FK-3 missile defence system was included in state-run arms company Jugoimport SDPR’s annual report, submitted to the state Business Registers Agency last week and seen by Reuters.

Jugoimport SDPR said it made 163 import deals with 31 countries for $620.3 million in 2019. The weapons purchases included armed drones from China and Europe’s first known purchase of the FK-3.

“The biggest part of imports is related to the modernisation of MIG-29 planes, the procurement of drone systems, … (and) air-defence system FK-3,” it said.

Beijing sees Serbia as part of its One Belt, One Road initiative, which is aimed at opening new foreign trade links for Chinese companies.

In 2018, the Jugoimport SDPR made 162 import deals with 32 countries, worth $482.7 million, including purchases of Russian-made helicopter gunships and transport helicopters.

China has invested billions of euros in the Balkan country, mainly in soft loans, infrastructure and energy projects.

In late June, Serbia’s air force received six CH-92A combat drones armed with laser-guided missiles, the first such deployment of Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles in Europe.

Serbia, which hopes to join the European Union, declared military neutrality in 2006 and joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, though it does not seek full membership in the Western defence alliance.

Serbia’s military is loosely based on former Soviet technology and in recent years Belgrade has procured MiG-29 fighter jets and missiles, helicopters, tanks and armoured personnel carriers from Russia.

Cina. Si sta sbocconcellando i paesi europei. – EU Observer.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-03-29.

I liberal socialisti europei sono tutti presi ad ustolare e guaiolare contro i paesi dell’Unione che con la scusa del coronavirus si stanno staccando dalla loro ideologia: queste nazioni anno riappropriandosi della propria sovranità.

«European member states already frustrated with the EU over economic, migration or justice policies»

si sono resi quasi indipendenti e, sommo sberleffo a livello di sfregio, si sono rivolti alla Cina. Stanno divincolandosi dall’usbergo europeo: dei liberal non ne vogliono più sapere.

Ma il motivo lo constatano loro stessi:

«The only country that is breaking through these new barriers is the People’s Republic of China»

Ben difficile il cercare di comprenderli.

* * * * * * *

«Beijing using lack of EU ‘solidarity’ to seize leadership»

«EU commissioner Thierry Breton is calling Covid-19 a “crisis that knows no borders,” but as Europeans look out of the windows in their home confinement, borders are all they see»

«New restrictions are dividing citizens from each other and real, closed borders are sprouting between European states and between the transatlantic partners»

«These barriers are breaking down the freedoms the European Union is supposed to be all about – the freedom of movement for citizens and goods»

«EU export restrictions on healthcare supplies are leaving the EU’s neighbourhood, especially the Balkans, feeling abandoned by their closest and richest neighbour»

«And in their rhetoric, national leaders, including Angela Merkel in her public address, failed to mention Europe’s common struggle in their visions for battling the virus»

«The only country that is breaking through these new barriers is the People’s Republic of China»

*

«Keen to appear as a leader in a crisis it largely contributed to create, China has launched several initiatives aimed at Europe. …. Planes full of medical supplies – desperately needed test kits and masks – are arriving from China. Some of these are donations from the government or from private entities like Alibaba, while other shipments are supplies purchased by Europeans.»

«Europe should be aware that China is taking advantage of the lack of solidarity between European member states to achieve its own goals»

«In accepting the China’s aid, Europe should not undermine its own internal cohesion and be wary of being used to advance an authoritarian state’s propaganda»

«In a recent op-ed, the Italian ambassador to the EU deplored that “only China responded” to his country’s pleas for help»

«But Italy is not the only European country turning to China for help in fighting the crisis, and the Chinese authorities consistently use European requests for self-aggrandisement»

«When the Spanish prime minister contacted Chairman Xi for help in obtaining medical supplies, Chinese state media quickly capitalised on the call to promote their leadership’s responsiveness»

«Similarly, the Czech Republic has just bought testing kits from China, a fact the Chinese foreign ministry has diligently advertised»

«And the Chinese embassy to France has also broadcast its provision of masks and other supplies on Twitter, a social media banned in China»

«On March 18, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić most vividly illustrated what the EU stands to lose when he labelled European solidarity “a fairy tale on paper” before concluding that “the only country that can help [Serbia] is China.”»

*

«Once borders and barriers are up, they will be hard to pull down. It is up to the EU to be visible and true to its principles and democratic ideals throughout the coronavirus crisis. This is especially crucial in the Southern and Central European member states already frustrated with the EU over economic, migration or justice policies and at risk of falling away from Europe’s principles of democracy and openness»

* * * * * * *

La portata della crisi sanitaria, sociale ed economica indotta dal’epidemia da coronavirus è sotto gli occhi di tutti.

L’Unione Europea ha latitato e fornito ben poco aiuto agli stati, e molti di essi si sono rivolti alla Cina, che potrà avere tutti i difetti di questo mondo, ma che ha risposto prontamente alle richiesta di aiuto.

«On March 18, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić most vividly illustrated what the EU stands to lose when he labelled European solidarity “a fairy tale on paper” before concluding that “the only country that can help [Serbia] is China.”»

Concordiamo pienamente con il giudizio espresso da Mr Aleksandar Vučić. Ma questa posizione non mette minimamente in forse la democrazia, anzi, la supporta. Rigetta invece il concetto di ‘democrazia’ che propugnano i liberal, che è tutta un’altra cosa.

*

---

Beijing using lack of EU ‘solidarity’ to seize leadership.

EU commissioner Thierry Breton is calling Covid-19 a “crisis that knows no borders,” but as Europeans look out of the windows in their home confinement, borders are all they see.

New restrictions are dividing citizens from each other and real, closed borders are sprouting between European states and between the transatlantic partners.

These barriers are breaking down the freedoms the European Union is supposed to be all about – the freedom of movement for citizens and goods.

Days-long lines on the Polish-German border are trapping the citizens of the Baltic States in Germany, unable to cross into Poland to get home.

EU export restrictions on healthcare supplies are leaving the EU’s neighbourhood, especially the Balkans, feeling abandoned by their closest and richest neighbour.

And in their rhetoric, national leaders, including Angela Merkel in her public address, failed to mention Europe’s common struggle in their visions for battling the virus.

The only country that is breaking through these new barriers is the People’s Republic of China.

Keen to appear as a leader in a crisis it largely contributed to create, China has launched several initiatives aimed at Europe.

Planes full of medical supplies – desperately needed test kits and masks – are arriving from China. Some of these are donations from the government or from private entities like Alibaba, while other shipments are supplies purchased by Europeans.

Good will and global cooperation in battling the virus are essential, but Europe should be aware that China is taking advantage of the lack of solidarity between European member states to achieve its own goals.

In accepting the China’s aid, Europe should not undermine its own internal cohesion and be wary of being used to advance an authoritarian state’s propaganda.

Italy, the EU member state that has so far been hardest hit by the pandemic, has been a particularly prominent target of Chinese outreach.

In a recent op-ed, the Italian ambassador to the EU deplored that “only China responded” to his country’s pleas for help.

This allowed Rome’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio to very publicly praise China’s provision of medical material to his country, leaving unclear to what extent the material would be donated rather than sold.

Some reports have speculated that Di Maio may be using the crisis to further his long-standing agenda to move Italy closer to China. Beijing is encouraging this rhetoric.

The Chinese foreign minister’s spokeswoman actively relayed a false story about Italians singing “Thank you China!” from their balconies.

And Chinese authorities are making sure that any help they provide is widely publicised. Researcher Lucrezia Poggetti linked certain Chinese donations to Italy to the United Front, Beijing’s agency responsible for coordinating influence operations at home and abroad.

But Italy is not the only European country turning to China for help in fighting the crisis, and the Chinese authorities consistently use European requests for self-aggrandisement.

When the Spanish prime minister contacted Chairman Xi for help in obtaining medical supplies, Chinese state media quickly capitalised on the call to promote their leadership’s responsiveness.

Twitter PR

Similarly, the Czech Republic has just bought testing kits from China, a fact the Chinese foreign ministry has diligently advertised.

And the Chinese embassy to France has also broadcast its provision of masks and other supplies on Twitter, a social media banned in China.

Whether this vast Chinese operation will succeed remains to be seen. However, the Europeans’ inward-looking response has given China an opening, especially in the EU’s neighbourhood.

On March 18, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić most vividly illustrated what the EU stands to lose when he labelled European solidarity “a fairy tale on paper” before concluding that “the only country that can help [Serbia] is China.”

Europe should not stay passive in the face of China’s divisive tactics. The EU needs to show its relevance to citizens and its helpfulness to all member states.

Once borders and barriers are up, they will be hard to pull down. It is up to the EU to be visible and true to its principles and democratic ideals throughout the coronavirus crisis. This is especially crucial in the Southern and Central European member states already frustrated with the EU over economic, migration or justice policies and at risk of falling away from Europe’s principles of democracy and openness.

This allowed Rome’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio to very publicly praise China’s provision of medical material to his country, leaving unclear to what extent the material would be donated rather than sold.

Some reports have speculated that Di Maio may be using the crisis to further his long-standing agenda to move Italy closer to China. Beijing is encouraging this rhetoric.

The Chinese foreign minister’s spokeswoman actively relayed a false story about Italians singing “Thank you China!” from their balconies.

And Chinese authorities are making sure that any help they provide is widely publicised. Researcher Lucrezia Poggetti linked certain Chinese donations to Italy to the United Front, Beijing’s agency responsible for coordinating influence operations at home and abroad.

But Italy is not the only European country turning to China for help in fighting the crisis, and the Chinese authorities consistently use European requests for self-aggrandisement.

When the Spanish prime minister contacted Chairman Xi for help in obtaining medical supplies, Chinese state media quickly capitalised on the call to promote their leadership’s responsiveness.

Twitter PR

Similarly, the Czech Republic has just bought testing kits from China, a fact the Chinese foreign ministry has diligently advertised.

And the Chinese embassy to France has also broadcast its provision of masks and other supplies on Twitter, a social media banned in China.

Whether this vast Chinese operation will succeed remains to be seen. However, the Europeans’ inward-looking response has given China an opening, especially in the EU’s neighbourhood.

On March 18, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić most vividly illustrated what the EU stands to lose when he labelled European solidarity “a fairy tale on paper” before concluding that “the only country that can help [Serbia] is China.”

Europe should not stay passive in the face of China’s divisive tactics. The EU needs to show its relevance to citizens and its helpfulness to all member states.

Once borders and barriers are up, they will be hard to pull down. It is up to the EU to be visible and true to its principles and democratic ideals throughout the coronavirus crisis. This is especially crucial in the Southern and Central European member states already frustrated with the EU over economic, migration or justice policies and at risk of falling away from Europe’s principles of democracy and openness.

Soros Alexander. Figlio d’arte all’opera nei Balkani.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-12-29.

Chiariamo immediatamente due concetti al momento non ancora pienamente razionalizzati da alcuni.

– George Soros è molto vecchio, ma alla sua morte gli subentrerà il figlio Alexander. Se alcuni gioiscono per la continuità di azione delle Open Society Foundations, altri se ne dolgono profondamente.

– Le guerre civili balkaniche degli anni ’90 non hanno pacificato la zona, ma hanno solo esitato in una tregua. Sarà nei Balkani che si decideranno i destini europei.

*

«Alexander G. Soros (born 1985) is an American philanthropist.

Alexander Soros is the son of billionaire George Soros and Susan Weber Soros. He was raised in Katonah, New York and has a younger brother, Gregory. Soros graduated from King Low Heywood Thomas in Stamford, Connecticut. He graduated from New York University in 2009. As of 2012, he is pursuing a doctorate in history at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2014, Soros contributed an essay to the book God, Faith and Identity from the Ashes: Reflections of Children and Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors.

His writing has appeared in: The Guardian, Politico, Reuters, Thomson Reuters Foundation, The Miami Herald, The Sun-Sentinel, The Forward.

He established himself as a philanthropist with his first major contribution to the Jewish Funds for Justice.

According to a 2011 Wall Street Journal profile, Soros’ focus is on “progressive causes that might not have widespread support.” Since then, he has joined the board of directors of organizations including Global Witness (as an advisory board member), which campaigns against environmental and human rights abuses associated with the exploitation of natural resources; the Open Society Foundations, which works to establish government accountability and democratic processes internationally; and Bend the Arc (which was formed by the merger of the Progressive Jewish Alliance and Jewish Funds for Justice in 2012).

Soros continues to donate to political causes as well. In March 2012 he donated $200,000 to the Jewish Council for Education and Research, the organization behind 2008’s “Great Schlep” in support of then-candidate Barack Obama.

In 2012 he established the Alexander Soros Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting social justice and human rights. Among the foundation’s initial grantees are Bend the Arc, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents the rights of 2.5 million domestic workers in the U.S., and Make the Road New York, which builds the power of Latino and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice.» [Fonte]

Tutto ciò che si sarebbe potuto dire per il padre George, lo si potrebbe ripetere per il figlio Alexander.

Soros George. Uno stato negli stati. Ecco i suoi principali voivodati.

Soros. Esercito universitario e controllo della cultura, strumenti del potere.

More Than 40% of Student Borrowers Aren’t Making Payments

Soros furibondo attacca Orban e l’Ungheria: sono degli ingrati.

Romania, Approvata riforma giudiziaria avversata da EU e Mr Soros.

*

Bene.

Il giovanotto, Alexander Soros, sta movendo i primi passi ed ha scelto come agone il cuore dei Balcani: la Serbia. Comportamenti ambigui ed ambivalenti.

«Despite a continuing campaign in Serbia against rights groups linked to George Soros, Serbia’s President held an apparently friendly meeting on Monday with his son, Alexander»

*

«Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday met Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundations»

*

«The meeting comes at a time of continuing agitation in Serbia – and other countries in Eastern Europe – against Soros-linked groups, which Vucic’s ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party, has been accused of encouraging»

*

«The website of the Serbian President said that Vucic had discussed regional cooperation, the Soros-backed Foundation for European Integration of Serbia, reforms in the media and the rule of law in Serbia»

*

«President Vucic pointed out that the strategic goal and main priority of Serbia is full membership in the European Union, and that Serbia is ready for further reform of society and achieving European standards»

* * * * * * * *

Riassumiamo in sintesi.

La Serbia di Aleksandar Vucic ambirebbe ad essere ammessa nell’Unione Europea: quindi, prende contatto con il vero padrone dell’Unione per contrattare l’ingresso.

Poi, tutto finirà come per la Turkia.

---

→ Balkan Inside. 2017-11-20. Serbia President Holds Cordial Meeting With Soros’ Son

Despite a continuing campaign in Serbia against rights groups linked to George Soros, Serbia’s President held an apparently friendly meeting on Monday with his son, Alexander.

*

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Monday met Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundations.

The meeting comes at a time of continuing agitation in Serbia – and other countries in Eastern Europe – against Soros-linked groups, which Vucic’s ruling party, the Serbian Progressive Party, has been accused of encouraging.

The website of the Serbian President said that Vucic had discussed regional cooperation, the Soros-backed Foundation for European Integration of Serbia, reforms in the media and the rule of law in Serbia.

“President Vucic pointed out that the strategic goal and main priority of Serbia is full membership in the European Union, and that Serbia is ready for further reform of society and achieving European standards,” the President’s official website said.

It added that the President told Soros that “despite occasional negative processes in the region, Serbia remains committed to resolving all open bilateral issues with its neighbors through dialogue”.

According to the report, Alexander Soros encouraged Serbia to continue to play “a constructive role in the stability of the Western Balkans”, and added that his Foundation was ready to support reform processes and the development of entrepreneurship, as well as the program of Roma integration in Serbia.

“The two interlocutors agreed that Serbia needs to continue to implement reforms, especially those related to the rule of law”.

Since the Progressive Party came to power in Serbia in 2012, Soros-backed groups have been often accused of financing anti-Vucic and anti-government campaigns.

Vucic himself in March told Pink TV that he believed Soros was linked to anti-government protests both in Serbia and Russia.
“If we look at their [Russian] information, we see the same financiers, from Soros to some others,” he said.
In the same month, a Progressive Party MP, Vladimir Orlic, said be believed that Soros was “the father of the opposition” in Serbia.

Earlier, on January 28, Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia’s Labour Minister claimed that opposition candidates in the upcoming presidential election – which Vucic won – were in the pay of Soros.

Also in January, the right-wing Nasi movement called for a new law that would outlaw the work of Open Society Foundations, following the example of Russia.

Last year, a newspaper sympathetic to the government said Soros was trying to cause “chaos” in the country.

“For the chaos in Serbia, Soros gave almost four million euros,” the tabloid Informer claimed in August 2016. More recently, in November this year, it wrote that “Soros and USAID are hitting Serbia”, adding: “The US is giving 2 million dollars to bring down Vucic.”

This is not first meeting of Vucic with Soros, however. In September this year in New York, Vucic met both George and Alexander Soros, which Vucic later said had been “very interesting”.

“I’ve listened to them, they listened me. We did not deal with gossip, but serious things. We exchanged views of developments in the world, Europe, in the Balkans,” Vucic said, Insajder website reported.

Serbia is far from the only country in the region where Soros-linked groups are routinely accused of subverting the nation and government.

The Hungarian government has regularly accused Soros of planning to flood Europe with immigrants to subvert its identity, and recently promised to set up a “national consultation” on Soros organisations. He has also come under attack from politicians in Poland and Romania.

---

→ Balkan Inside. 2017-12-19. Serbia Charges Youth Activists for War Criminal Protest

The prosecution brought misdemeanour charges against nine Youth Initiative for Human Rights activists who disrupted a speech by Serbian war crimes convict Veselin Sljivancanin.

*

The prosecution on Tuesday charged the youth activists with “rude, impudent or reckless behaviour” as well as “insulting, exercising violence, threatening or fighting” for disrupting a speech by Veselin Sljivancanin in the northern town of Beska in January.

They face between 30 and 60 days in prison if convicted.

YIHR activists blew whistles and unfurled a banner with the message “Criminals should shut up so we can talk about victims” at the event at which Sljivancanin spoke, which was organised by the ruling Progressive Party.

Former Yugoslav People’s Army colonel Sljivancanin served a jail sentence for war crimes after being convicted of aiding and abetting the torture of non-Serb prisoners from Vukovar in Croatia in 1991.

The YIHR did not want to comment on the charges ahead of the first hearing before the court next Monday.

But the group’s director, Anita Mitic, accused the prosecutors of backing Sljivancanin.

“The state clearly took the side of war criminals,” Mitic wrote on Twitter.

The activists claim they were the ones who were attacked in Beska, then kicked out of the public venue and had one of their cars damaged.

The Progressive Party insisted in a statement at the time however that the activists caused the clash by disrupting the meeting.

“A group of hooligans interrupted the event… and brutally disturbed the citizens present who were listening to the speakers calmly and in dignity,” the party said in a statement.

The prosecution threw out the criminal charges brought by YIHR activists against unknown perpetrators for the alleged attack on them in Beska.

Sljivancanin also spoke at another Progressive Party meeting in Vrsac on Monday.

He was released in 2011, after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Serbia. Vucic eletto presidente. 55%.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-04-03.

«Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is projected to have won a clear victory in the country’s presidential election.

With most votes counted in Sunday’s poll, he appears to have won about 55%, the threshold to avoid a run-off»

*

«Mr Vucic said the people had voted for his policy of joining the EU without turning away from traditional allies Russia and China»

*

«Up until now, the role of the president has been largely ceremonial, but it is thought it will become more influential under Mr Vucic»

* * * * * * *

Le intenzioni dichiarate da Mr Vucic sembrerebbero essere di buon senso: inserire la Serbia nel contesto dell’Unione Europea senza peraltro abbandonare la tradizionale alleanza con la Russia e con la Cina.

Con il clima politico corrente sarà alquanto difficile poter mantenere un simile proposito.

Difficile anche la situazione economica.

Il pil procapite nel 2015 era 4,613 euro, il tasso di crescita di poco superiore lo zero, ed il debito pubblico estero ammontava al 77.8% del pil nazionale.

La disoccupazione al 17.9% rende anche quel paese alquanto instabile.

---

→ Rai News. 2017-04-03. Aleksandar Vucic nuovo presidente della Serbia. Vittoria al primo turno.

Il primo ministro conservatore Aleksandar Vucic ha vinto le elezioni presidenziali in Serbia. Dopo la società di sondaggi Ipsos, anche il Centro per libere elezioni e democrazia (Cesid) ha confermato il largo successo già al primo turno del premier Aleksandar Vucic nelle presidenziali in Serbia. A Vucic, stando al Cesid, è andato oltre il 56%, secondo, a enorme distanza, si è piazzato l’ex ombudsman Sasha Jankovic con il 15,2%, terzo il giovane eccentrico campione dell’anti-politica Luka Maksimovic, alias Ljubisa Preletacebvic Beli, con il 9,5%, quarto l’ex ministro degli esteri Vuk Jeremic con il 5,8%.

---

→ Bbc. 2017-04-03. Serbia elects Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as president

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is projected to have won a clear victory in the country’s presidential election.

With most votes counted in Sunday’s poll, he appears to have won about 55%, the threshold to avoid a run-off.

His closest challenger, Sasa Jankovic, has 15%, while satirical candidate Ljubisa Preletacevic is third with 9%.

Mr Vucic is pro-EU, but is accused by his rivals of using the election to tighten his grip on power.

Mr Vucic said the people had voted for his policy of joining the EU without turning away from traditional allies Russia and China.

“This shows in what direction Serbia wants to go. It has been important for this victory to be as clear as a tear drop to not allow anyone to make a random interpretation of the difference that has been made.”

He became prime minister after his pro-EU nationalist Progressive Party won a landslide victory in early parliamentary elections in 2014.

In the latest campaign, the 47-year-old highlighted Serbia’s economic growth under his tenure.

He was previously a radical Serb nationalist who served under President Slobodan Milosevic in the late 1990s.

But in 2008, he left the country’s Radical party to help found the moderate Progressive Party, signalling a clear break with his nationalist past.

“I do not hide that I have changed… I am proud of that,” he told the AFP news agency in a 2012 interview.

But his past has followed him nonetheless.

In 2015, he fled a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, when the crowd turned on him.

The massacre saw about 8,000 Bosnian Muslims killed at the hands of Serb forces.

Mr Vucic was a member of the national assembly at the time, and famously said “you kill one Serb and we will kill 100 Muslims” just days after the massacre.

But in recent years, he has called for conciliation. Months after he was chased from the anniversary ceremony, he returned to the memorial site to pay his respects.

Up until now, the role of the president has been largely ceremonial, but it is thought it will become more influential under Mr Vucic.

But he denied the suggestion, saying: “They can say whatever they want. I will respect Serbia’s constitution. That is my obligation and that is what I will do.”

Serbia. Oggi elezioni politiche.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2016-04-24.

 

«Polls have suggested a win for his Progressive Party»

*

«Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called the vote two years early seeking a clear mandate to continue with reforms before the country could join the EU»

*

«We want to complete the process of privatisation, speed up (private) investments and above all to spur the entrepreneurial spirit of the people»

*

«Serbia has signed a €1.2bn ($1.35bn; £940m) loan with the International Monetary Fund»

*

«In return, it needs to implement austerity measures demanded by the group»

*

«The country’s economy is in bad shape and unemployment is at around 18%.»

*

La Serbia è un paese povero.

Ad un pil pro capite di 5,309 Usd / anno si contrappone un pil ppa pro capite di 10,722 Usd / anno. I disoccupati raggiungono il 18% della popolazione attiva.

Difficile poter emettere giudizi sereni: la Serbia ha da sempre gravitato nell’orbita russa ma la sua collocazione geopolitica attuale suggerirebbe l’opportunità di inserirsi nella Unione Europea. L’operato ed i progetti politici del Premier Vucic sono quindi considerabili da due punti di vista opposti: non conciliabili.

Cercando di parlare nel più obiettivo possibile dei modi, sembrerebbe utile stressare la svolta a destra data da Vucic, intendendo per “destra” una ragionevole riduzione dell’ingerenza statale nei sistemi economici, un largo processo di privatizzazioni e lo stimolo alla imprenditorialità.

Tutte queste operazioni richiedono però tempo.

Nell’immediato c’è il grave problema del risanamento dei bilanci, fatto che porterà inevitabilmente a dover imporre severe misure di austerità, sicuramente malviste da larghi strati della popolazione.

Però le proiezioni sembrerebbero essere inequivocabili. Il condizionale sarebbe d’obbligo.

 

→ Bbc. 2016-04-24. Serbia election seen as vote on EU membership.

Polls have opened in Serbia in a parliamentary election seen as a de facto referendum on whether the country should seek EU membership.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called the vote two years early seeking a clear mandate to continue with reforms before the country could join the EU.

Polls have suggested a win for his Progressive Party.

But discontent with Mr Vucic’s pro-EU stance looks set to bring ultra-nationalists back into parliament.

They oppose membership to the European bloc and favour closer ties with Russia.

These include Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj, whose popularity has been boosted by his recent acquittal of crimes against humanity at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

This is Serbia’s third parliamentary election in less than four years. Some 6.7 million people are eligible to vote.

Voting continues until 18:00 GMT and partial results are likely to come a few hours after that. There are no exit polls.

Opinion polls have indicated an absolute majority for Mr Vucic in parliament.

“We want to complete the process of privatisation, speed up (private) investments and above all to spur the entrepreneurial spirit of the people,” Mr Vucic told Reuters news agency.

The ultra-nationalists, however, could complicate Serbia’s EU membership talks by resisting concessions, such as ending the claim to sovereignty over Kosovo.

Critics of Mr Vucic say his government has become increasingly autocratic, with some calling him a “dictator”.

Serbia has signed a €1.2bn ($1.35bn; £940m) loan with the International Monetary Fund. In return, it needs to implement austerity measures demanded by the group.

The country’s economy is in bad shape and unemployment is at around 18%.

The key players.

Founded in 2008, it has been in power since 2012. It won an overall majority two years ago, an unprecedented event in Serbia’s short democratic history. It wants to pursue EU membership while maintaining good relations with Russia.

Ivica Dacic, Socialist Party of Servia (SPS), left

Founded in 1990 by Serbia’s late strongman Slobodan Milosevic. Its main goals are achieving more social justice, social welfare and finding a political solution for Kosovo. But it has supported austerity policies implemented by its coalition partner SNS.

Vojislav Seselj, Serbian Radical Party (SRS), ultra-nationalist

Founded in 1991, promoted since its early days the union of Serbia and parts of Bosnia and Croatia where Serbs formed the majority. It opposes EU membership and supports a closer alliance with Russia.