Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will begin consultations with representatives of coalition partners of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), his office said on Friday, as political tensions rise ahead of potential elections.
Vučić is scheduled to meet representatives of the Movement of Socialists at 9 a.m., followed by talks with the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians an hour later, and a meeting with the leadership of the Justice and Reconciliation Party at 11 a.m.
Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić said recently that Vučić plans to initiate broader talks within the SNS as well as with other political actors on upcoming elections and the country’s wider foreign policy direction.
Opposition parties, however, reacted critically. The Green-Left Front (ZLF) said it would not participate, arguing the invitation was not a genuine effort to overcome divisions but a political maneuver to maintain power.
The Democratic Party (DS) said Vučić was not opening dialogue on elections but attempting to shift focus to foreign policy in order to delay them.
Danijela Nestorović, a lawmaker from the Ecological Uprising movement, said her group had not received any invitation, adding that Vučić had been “conducting a dialogue with himself” for years.
Similarly, Pavle Grbović, leader of the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), said his party had not been invited to the talks.
Zdravko Ponoš, head of the Serbia Centre (SRCE) party, said dialogue should take place in parliament rather than at the presidency, adding that Vučić was trying to reassure Western partners following incidents during local elections and a police raid at the University of Belgrade rectorate.
The consultations come amid growing political friction and scrutiny over Serbia’s domestic and foreign policy direction.