Izvor: N1 televizija, 06.Nov.2018, 22:51 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Sabac Mayor warns of pressure from Serbian authorities
The Mayor of Sabac Nebojsa Zelenovic told the Council of Europe (CoE) Congress of Regional and Local Authorities that opposition-ruled local communities in Serbia were being threatened and blackmailed.
He told the session in Strasbourg that a “re-composition” of local authorities was taking place in many municipalities which were not ruled by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
“The central authorities in Serbia are under the control of President Aleksandar Vucic >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << and his SNS. In the local communities where the SNS lost local elections, a large number of councilors have been under pressure from the central authorities over the past six years. The goal is to bring the SNS to power without elections. This election violence is called re-composition in Serbia and that is a new word which we got in the recent past,” Zelenovic said
He warned of sudden changes to the electoral will of the people in many places in Serbia. “Since the latest local elections in Serbia in 2012 we have had re-composing in 35 of the 170 local communities. These are serious violations of article 7 paragrpah 1 of the European Charter on Local Government. The SNS is not in power in just three local communities in Serbia – Sabac, Paracin and Cajetina,” Zelenovic said and added that he was speaking for all three.
He said the local councilors hold seats in their municipal and city assemblies and change sides under pressure and amid threats. He said he submitted 40 statements by local councilors from across Serbia who were offered bribes and jobs and were threatened in various ways to change parties.
Zelenovic cited the example of convicted war criminal Veselin Sljivancanin pressuring a councilor in Sabac.
The Mayor of Sabac said that 34 mayors or municipality chiefs had been arrested in the past few years and none of them was ever convicted. He said the central authorities are abusing the police and pressuring courts in their attempt to win power.
"Save freedom and democracy in Serbia,” Zelenovic said at the session of the CoE body.
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