Dinkic Goes, Serbian Government Survives

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic dismissed Dinkic, who was also the economy minister and the head of the G17 Plus party, for violating government rules.

In a press conference on Monday, Dinkic said he accepted the decision but added that his G17 Plus party would continue to support and stay in the governing coalition.

This means that fears of a government collapse have for now been allayed.  

Dinkic said he still stood behind every word that he had said, referring to harsh criticism of the way the country was being run. He said his post as one of Cvetković's deputies was now at the disposal of his coalition partners, and described the cabinet as suffering from "plenty of stupid jealousy". 

Earlier, speaking  at a press conference in Belgrade, the premier said that proceedings for the dismissal of the State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Slobodan Ilic, have also been initiated.

According to Cvetkovic, the decision will be promptly delivered to the Serbian Parliament for consideration.

"I informed President Boris Tadic about the issue this morning, explaining that the government is unable to continue its work and that there is a need to replace those who are destroying its unity," Cvetkovic said at the press conference.  

He went on to say that the decision was not directed against the G17 Plus and that the government will survive the dismissal

The situation within the ruling coalition has become increasingly tense over the past several days. 

While the leading Democrats, DS, claim that cooperation within the ruling coalition is good, Dinkic said on Thursday that the government had lost its authority and that there is “bickering in every corner”.

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There is more opposition within the ruling coalition than from the real opposition, and we fight over stupid things,” Dinkic told Nis-based TV 5.

Dinkic accused PM Cvetkovic of “making no decisions of his own”, explaining that Tadic calls the shots.

Meanwhile, the country has been hit by wave of public sector strikes that has shaken the ruling coalition over the past several weeks. Protesting teachers, police and health workers are demanding pay rises, while the government says it does not have the money to meet their requests.

A government reshuffle has become a buzzword on the Serbian political scene since November, when Serbian President and DS leader Boris Tadic said that the government needed to “operate at minimum costs and with maximum efficiency”, without clarifying what this would mean in practice. The media has been anticipating talks on reshuffling for weeks.