Serbian President's Insulted Threat

CIA, Croats, oligarchs... Media in Serbia regularly report planned assassinations against President Vucic. Why?

Vucic has ruled Serbia for six years. Political competition he has managed to eliminate and fragment on a large scale even through media control. In addition to a cable channel and several poor weekly newspapers, the main media cover the president with praise and accuse his critics.

In this context, Belgrade's bovardske newspaper “Informer”, with editor-in-chief an old friend of Vucic, Dragan Vucevicevicj, is taking a step further. On its pages, Vucic continues to be portrayed as all powerful, without error and all people who love him, but as also very at risk. Because the opposition and foreign powers say they want to kill him. And this, although he does everything for his people, says the prime minister's friends in the written media and local televisions.

CIA, Croats, oligarchs...

“What may seem ridiculous, miserable or bulvardeske is in fact a serious political and well-thought media strategy”, says journalist Tamara Scrozza, member of Serbia's Press Council. There is at least once a week an article claiming any planned assassination against the president.

The list of prepared assassinations and suspected conspiracy groups has steadily increased. Sometimes it's the CIA's western secret services and MI6, sometimes Serbian oligarchs and criminals. Now, as potential conspirators, ambassadors of EU and US countries, or Kosovo Albanians, or Croats also conflict. Even Russia has not escaped charges as a bed of anti-Serb plots.

But why does Vucic always want to appear in the loud public and with a guide tone, when he's at all times in danger that someone can kill him? “He uses the Biblical archetype he is David at war against Goliath”, says sociologist Jovo Bakic from Belgrade University. “Vucic appears objectively weaker, but his courage is so great that he defeats all conspiracy forces”.

Continued Melodrama

Independent portal “Istinomer” (“The veracity”) went that 90% of Vucic's statements are false. The word is for example. for opening new jobs or economic development. Other media - analysis portals also say that there is much false news in them. Portal Facebook.rs recorded for example. Only last year did I lie to you on the front page of the boulevardeske “Informer”.

Even official Brussels knows what the media situation is like in Serbia. The lack of press freedom is always the subject in EU progress reports, as well as control of the judiciary and distribution of public contracts and jobs as the party wishes. But while the criticisms are extremely diplomatic, Vucic is taking it for granted in Brussels, Berlin and elsewhere.

Like most critics in Serbia, sociologist Bakic thinks this is about Kosovo. Vucic is ready to pave the way for UN recognition of Kosovo, which is blocked so far by Russia and China, if he continues to enjoy EU support for his autocratic style, think a lot in Belgrade. This year is considered crucial until Belgrade and Pristina sign a normalisation agreement.

Bakic thinks the media aim not only to deny developments in the Kosovo issue and the ever-growing autism, but also the economic misery and migration of tens of thousands of young people annually. The goal of “on assassinations” is to constantly fuel public psychosis. These are smoke candles for people to deal with news about how the fearless leader would sacrifice his life for Serbia”.

Recently, Vucic told Financial Times reporters the balcony of the new palace, the president's Belgrade headquarters. It was from this spot, he said, referring to history, that he was thrown from the balcony after the coup in 1903 by the lifeless body of Serbian King Alexander. And as journalists describe it, Aleksandar Vucic had added highly melodramatic notes: no Alexander has survived power”.