Prekić: Serbia has an opportunity to change its politics, not just its government

The student movement’s victory in Serbia’s elections presents a major opportunity for Serbian society to begin a new chapter in its history after several decades, historian Adnan Prekić said during an appearance on the morning programme Budilnik on Television E.

Prekić noted that Serbia had changed its government several times, but had never changed the political course that led to the events of the 1990s, the consequences of which were ultimately addressed before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

In his view, Aleksandar Vučić is not the cause of all the problems facing Serbian society, but rather the consequence of a political tradition whose roots stretch back to the 1960s and 1970s, with its key foundations laid in the late 1980s.

- Now there is an opportunity to reconstruct that political course and turn over a new leaf. The student movement wisely set aside its internal differences and focused on the nature of Vučić’s rule. It managed to create an atmosphere akin to a referendum, and a margin of more than half a million votes left Vučić with no choice but to acknowledge the results - Prekić said.

He considers it a particular achievement that, despite weakened institutions and prolonged protests, political change was brought about through elections rather than in the streets.

Prekić believes the student movement could also serve as an example for Montenegro’s opposition, particularly in terms of political communication.

- Although excluded from the mainstream media landscape, the students managed to get their message across and reach voters through a grassroots campaign. These are models of political engagement that could be of considerable interest to Montenegro’s opposition - Prekić said.

Commenting on the congratulations extended by representatives of Montenegro’s ruling coalition to the winners of Serbia’s elections, Prekić drew a parallel with the political changes of 2000.

- It all bears a striking resemblance to those who went to bed with Milošević and woke up with Koštunica - Prekić said.

He recalled that some Montenegrin politicians had spent nearly two years refraining from speaking positively about the student movement and had failed to respond to the actions of Vučić’s government.

- There are dozens of recordings and statements that bear witness to this. That is why their current attempt to distance themselves from Vučić’s politics comes across as more or less comical - Prekić concluded.