German conservative Catholic weekly Die Tagespost has warned that Aleksandar Vucic's decision to resign as Serbia's president and seek a return to the premiership represents a risky political manoeuvre aimed at consolidating power, drawing comparisons with Vladimir Putin's political arrangement in Russia.
Oglas
In a commentary published on October 17 under the headline "Serbia on the Road to Dictatorship", author Stephan Baier argued that Vucic was attempting to further strengthen his grip on Serbia's political institutions ahead of the October 25 parliamentary election.
The newspaper accused Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of systematically expanding their influence over the country's media, economy and judiciary since he became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017.
It also criticised the government's response to the mass anti-government demonstrations that swept Serbia last year.
According to the commentary, protesters faced violence, teachers and university professors lost their jobs, and pro-government media portrayed student demonstrators as traitors.
The weekly further raised allegations concerning opaque public procurement procedures, misuse of public funds and links between individuals close to Vucic and organised crime.
It argued that the political climate had contributed to growing emigration as many Serbians sought opportunities abroad.
Serbia's balancing act between Brussels and Moscow
Die Tagespost also questioned Serbia's commitment to European Union membership, pointing to the country's lack of progress in the accession process.
The newspaper referred to EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who indicated that Serbia's conduct after the election would help determine whether Belgrade was genuinely committed to joining the bloc.
The commentary criticised Serbia's continued refusal to join EU sanctions against Russia or align fully with the bloc's foreign and security policy.
It argued that Serbia's traditional perception of Russia as a protector and close ally remained an important factor in Belgrade's foreign policy.
However, the newspaper acknowledged that Vucic had not invented Serbia's balancing policy between Europe and Russia, and more recently China, but had refined an approach pursued by previous governments.
The publication also recalled Vucic's political background as a former senior official of Vojislav Seselj's Serbian Radical Party and information minister under Slobodan Milosevic.
It highlighted his close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that he had received Russian state honours while Serbia continued to benefit from EU pre-accession funding.
The commentary also cited Vucic's publicly expressed sympathies towards convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic as an illustration of what the author considered a fundamental divide between his political values and those of the European Union.
A Russian-style political transition?
The central argument of the commentary concerned Vucic's resignation from the presidency and his attempt to return to power as prime minister.
Die Tagespost suggested that Vucic could seek to retain effective political control by becoming prime minister after the October 25 election and subsequently supporting a loyal political ally for the presidency.
The newspaper compared that potential arrangement to Russia's 2008 political transition, when Vladimir Putin became prime minister and Dmitry Medvedev assumed the presidency.
In the author's assessment, such a move would allow Vucic to consolidate his political influence despite leaving the presidential office.
The comparison reflects the German newspaper's interpretation of Vucic's political strategy, rather than a confirmed plan for Serbia's future presidential election.
Teme