In normal countries, presidential elections are called only after a president’s mandate is over. The position of president, unlike the position of prime minister, does not depend on the stability of the coalition, but on the stability of the person who is in office. In European countries, it is not uncommon for a president to resign. However, such, as a rule, exceptional events, take place in exceptional circumstances, such as illness, a financial scandal, or perhaps even one of a sexual nature. During the previous three years, Germany changed three presidents: the first (Horst Kohler) resigned due to allegation of political incorrectness, the second (Christian Wulff) following allegations of corruption, while peace was finally found with a former Lutheran pastor (Joachim Gauck). Well, ok – maybe this is the standard of the highly developed Germany, but the president of Hungary (Pal Schmitt) is also considering resignation, after loosing his doctorate in a plagiarism scandal.

Thus, in the majority of stable countries on the European continent, presidential elections are carefully planned and eagerly anticipated, and take place only after a president’s mandate has ended, in accordance with the Constitution. In Serbia, things look a little bit different. Presidential elections can be called “tomorrow or the day after”, as the president Tadic told us yesterday, during a visit to an agricultural plant in Belgrade. And he seemed somewhat angry. As if the journalist who was asking him questions annoyed him, as well as Djilas (who stood beside him), and Petrovic (who stood behind him). The Constitution also annoys him, because it is not flexible and forces him to resign. Even more, he has to explain his resignation to the Parliament Speaker, that is, to Ivica Dacic. Tomislav Nikolic also annoys him, because he is breathing down his neck. Pajtic too – he wants autonomy. Probably the people annoy him as well, because they want a better life (and life cannot wait).

There are no scandals of a sexual nature related to this president (at least as far as the public knows), he declared tax on his 1000 EUR salary, and he does not even own an apartment. Resignation due to moral reasons is also not an option, because the downfall of the economy or the political system never constituted a serious enough reason to warrant resignation in this country. Of course, the alchemists from the Democratic Party (DS) have already started the campaign for the presidential elections (just in case), about ten days ago, when Tadic appeared in the stable of a progressive farmer (you know him – the one whose father and grandfather were farmers). Boys from the DS creative team have started a preventive campaign, just in case the president changes his mind – while drinking his morning coffee and listening to Severina. Such behavior on the part of the president of Serbia, and the president of the Democratic party, and the president of the Council for National Security, and the Organizational Committee for the exhumation and transfer of the remains of the members of the Karadjordjevic family, and the Commander in Chief of the Serbian Army, is not only arrogant, but, most of all, deplorable, because he is looking after the interests of one man and one party. Politics is calculation, but this newest moment is nothing but a puny game of weak people holding strong political positions. However, a high political price will be paid. And maybe presidential elections will not happen on May 6, maybe “tomorrow or the day after” it will turn out that the president was only joking, in a presidential way, while the rest of us ended up looking stupid, because we failed to understand his hilarious joke.

Translated by Bojana Obradovic

Peščanik.net, 07.04.2012.