For the sitting, the Speaker set the following agenda:

1. Election of the Government and oath taking by the Prime Minister and members of the Government.

At the beginning of the sitting, the National Assembly Speaker informed the MPs that the President of the Republic Tomislav Nikolic, in line with Article 112, paragraph 1, item 3 of the Serbian Constitution, having heard the opinion of the representatives of the electoral lists, proposed Ivica Dacic as candidate for Prime Minister.

The candidate for Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dacic exposed the programme and proposed the composition of the future Government. He stressed that the Government’s main goal would be to fortify the foundations of a new Serbia and bring together and unite the wisest people in pursuit of that goal.

In the expose, Dacic said that the new Government’s priority would be economic recovery and renewal of the country. All the other key goals, such as Serbia’s European future, addressing the Kosovo issue, regional cooperation, fight against crime and corruption, education, healthcare and other will depend on how capable we were to ensure the economic survival of our country. That is why it is imperative to reach a social agreement between the Government, employees and employers so as to create an economic policy conducive to development and raising the living standard of the impoverished Serbian citizens.

Serbia should have a clear strategy of economic development, based on our comparative advantages – primarily agriculture and the food industry, energy and infrastructure which should be the starting point of a new investment cycle, said Ivica Dacic. That is why the new Government would continue the talks with the IMF, World Bank and other financial institutions, without freezing the salaries and pensions, or privatising public companies. He stressed that the management of public companies would be personalised and the Government would assume the control role.

The Prime Minister designate stressed that the new Government’s role was to speed up the European integration process investing maximum effort into getting a date for the beginning of the negotiations with the European Union, and added that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina would be continued.

Dacic said that Serbia would not recognise the independence of Kosovo and that the Serbian Government wished to normalise the lives of all the citizens on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija. Therefore, it is necessary to put into action all that was agreed in the technical dialogue with Pristina, as well as continue the dialogue at the political level, with the participation of the highest dignitaries.

The Prime Minister designate said that Serbia would cooperate with all the countries of the world and foster security, stability and good relations in the region, supporting its European perspective. We want good relations with everyone, accompanied by a mutual respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the states, stressed the candidate for Prime Minister.

One of the goals of the new Government will be to establish a state governed by law and the rule of law, which calls for the elimination of all the negative consequences of the previous period’s judiciary reform. The new Government will also urge for on efficient, systemic and uncompromised fight against crime and corruption, as well as a reexamination of suspicious privatisations.

Justice, equality for all, particularly those who have lost their jobs and means to support themselves in the transition period, will be the new Government’s priority. We will mainly deal with how to employ and get Serbia moving, open up new job opportunities, find a way to reinitiate production in our factories, announced Dacic.

The candidate for Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, stressed that the new Government, aware of the gravity of the situation Serbia was in, would implement thorough social reform and work on reaching a broad political consensus. The citizens of our country expect more justice, a state that helps them and a decisive, responsible and efficient Government that will share the people’s fate.

Highlighting the importance of patriotism, sense of belonging, love and respect for one’s country – the state of Serbia, the candidate for Prime Minister advised the MPs to endorse the election of the new Government of the Republic of Serbia.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister designate Ivica Dacic nominated the candidates for members of the Government of the Republic of Serbia: for Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defence, security, fight against corruption and crime and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vucic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy Dr Jovan Krkobabic, Deputy Prime Minister for European integration Suzana Grubjesic and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Domestic Trade and Communications Dr Rasim Ljajic.

MA Mladjan Dinkic was nominated for Minister of Finance and Economy, Ivan Mrkic for Minister of Foreign Affairs, MA Verica Kalanovic for Minister of Regional Development and Local Self-Government, Milutin Mrkonjic for Minister of Transport, MA Velimir Ilic for Minister of Construction and Urbanism, Nikola Selakovic for Minister of Justice and Public Administration, Goran Knezevic for Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Prof. Dr Zarko Obradovic for Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic for Minister of Health, Prof. Dr Zorana Mihajlovic for Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection, Bratislav Petkovic for Minister of Culture and Information, Prof. Dr Milan Bacevic for Minister of Natural Resources, Mining and Spatial Planning, Prof. Dr Alisa Maric for Minister of Youth and Sports and Dr Sulejman Ugljanin for Minister without Portfolio.

By the end of the day the National Assembly had completed the discussion on the programme of the candidate for Prime Minister and the composition of the Government.

As the National Assembly had completed the debate the only item on the agenda, National Assembly Speaker MA Nebojsa Stefanovic set Friday, 27 July 2012, as Voting Day, starting at noon.

Voting Day

On Voting Day, 27 July 2012, the MPs voted on the Proposal for the Election of Prime Minister and members of the Government by roll call. By a majority of 142 MPs’ votes, the National Assembly elected Ivica Dacic Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and the members of the Government in the proposed composition.

National Assembly Speaker MA Nebojsa Stefanovic congratulated the Prime Minister and members of the Government on being elected and wished them success.

Following the election, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and ministers of the Government took the oath of office by reading the text of the oath as stipulated in the law and then signed the text of the oath.

In the course of the proceedings, National Assembly Speaker MA Nebojsa Stefanovic informed the MPs that the Committee on Administrative, Budgetary, Mandate and Immunity Issues had established the termination of the terms of office of MPs Bojan Pajtic, Ruzica Pavlovic-Djindjic, Rasim Ljajic, Aleksandar Vucic, Velimir Ilic, Zorana Mihajlovic-Milanovic, Goran Knezevic, Ivica Dacic, Jovan Krkobabic, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Zarko Obradovic, Milutin Mrkonjic, Mladjan Dinkic, Suzana Grubjesic and Verica Kalanovic and proposed that the National Assembly note the termination of the abovementioned MPs’ terms of office.

As the National Assembly had completed the discussion on the only item on the agenda and ruled on it, National Assembly Speaker MA Nebojsa Stefanovic concluded the Second Special Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2012.