Government of Vojvodina appointed, headed by Bojan Pajtic - new government members from the Democratic Party, the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina

(Bojan Pajtic)

The Vojvodina Parliament appointed provincial government late on Wednesday, July 10, 2012, which will cover 11 departments and in the third mandate it would be headed by deputy leader of the Democratic Party (DS), BojanPajitic.

A total of 79 MPs voted in favor of Pajtic’s cabinet, 21 MPsagainst and seven did not vote, while no MPs voted in favor of the appointment of the new government.

Members of the new government that gathers the Democratic Party, the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina were then sworn in.

In his expose, Pajtic said that the new government has a lot of work to do and that the task would not be easy, which is why activities need to be launched as soon as possible. He noted that his government is smaller than the previous one, and it is also more efficient, and to support this claim, he pointed outthat it gathers experts who proved their value in their target areas.

Pajtic underscored that it is in the interest of the citizens for the provincial government to cooperate with the republic government regardless of the fact that they are composed of different party coalitions. Pajtic underscored that it is inthe interest of the citizens for the provincial government to cooperate with the republic government regardless of the fact that they are composed of different party coalitions.

Pajtic added that the main objective is to keep current jobs but also to open new ones and to bring foreign investments, to satisfy human and minorities right at the highest European standards, investment in the health and education quality.

The Provincial Government has four vice presidents - Dragoslav Petrovica (DS) heading the Secretariat for Science, technological development and high education, Gorana Jesic (DS) heading the Secretariat for Agriculture,Water Engineering and Forestry, Andor Belin (SVM) in charge of the Secretariat for Education, National Communities and Regulations and Slavisa Grujic (LSV) heading the Secretariat for Culture and Informing.

The Secretariat for Health, Demography and Social Policy will be managed by Vesna Kopitovic (DS), the Secretariat for Energy Power and Mineral Raw Materials will be headed by Natasa Bajic Pavicevic.

Marinika Cobanu (LSV) will head the Secretariat for Sports and Youth, the Secretariat for City Planning and Ecology will be managed by Slobodan Puzovica (DS), while Branislav Bugarski (DS) will be accountable for the Secretariat for Regional Politics and Local Self-governance.

Miroslav Vasin (DS) will head the Secretariat for Trade, Labour,Employment and Gender Equality.

Today’s provincial assembly has opened with a minute of silence for all Srebrenica victims. The LSV members club initiated the minute ofsilence for July 11, an anniversary of Srebrenica massacre and it was supported by Istvan Pastor, the assembly president.

The Serbian Progressive Party and Democratic Party of Serbia members asked for a delay of meeting because of the decision of the Constitutional Court of Serbia to deny a large number of regulations of the Law on defining jurisdiction of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

The chief of members group of the Serbian Progressive Party, IgorMirovic, asked at the beginning of the meeting to set up working groups consisting of representatives of all parties which would work on the new proposal of the Law and Statute of Vojvodina because, according to his opinion,current government has not been constitutional. The majority refused the suggestion and the meeting began.

The decision of the Constitutional Court of Serbia on cancellation of one part of jurisdiction of Vojvodina was the main topic outside assembly hall commented not only by MPs but also a mandatory for the new provincial government constitution.

Pajtic said Vojvodina would not allow break in EU funds consumption used so far. He added that the Vojvodina Office in Brussels would continue operations and that the previous provincial government, assuming that something similar would happen, registered that office as a Department within the Secretariat for Finances of the Vojvodina Government.

What has the Vojvodina Government promised?