Vucic "stunned Serbians and outside observers" with PM pick

When President Aleksandar Vucic recently nominated Ana Brnabic as Serbia's PM-designate, he "stunned Serbians and outside observers alike."

Vucic "stunned Serbians and outside observers" with PM pick

When President Aleksandar Vucic recently nominated Ana Brnabic as Serbia's PM-designate, he "stunned Serbians and outside observers alike."

Close the entire text of the article here

(Tanjug, file)

Tanjug quotes the article, which observed that if elected in the National Assembly Brbabic, "who only entered politics last year when Vucic named her a minister of public administration and local government" would now "secure a double first for Serbia, which has never been led by a woman or by someone who is openly gay."

There is every reason to suspect that the choice of Brnabic is a decoy move, continues the US daily, and adds: "Vucic may be trying to calm European concerns as Serbia moves toward membership in the European Union, while he continues to cozy up to Russia and beef up Serbia’s military."

Brnabic is quoted as saying that if elected, she would "run the government with dedication and responsibility."

"Indeed, if Brnabic were allowed to exercise the rightful powers of her office and run Serbia’s government, it would send a powerful signal that it is time for Serbia - and the rest of the world - to move beyond old prejudices," the New York Times article says, and notes that the goal will be "sadly compromised if Brnabic is approved only to become the tool of an autocrat, or discarded to further Vucic’s sweeping political ambitions."

The article states that the nomination "will have the backing of 100 members of parliament who are in Vucic’s SNS party, but 26 more votes are needed to secure a majority."

"Opposition lawmakers, in a country where about half of the people believe homosexuality is an illness, are balking at approving a lesbian," according to the New York Times.