Journalist Criticizes Serbian PM's Defense in No-Confidence Vote

Journalist Mirjana Nikolić has criticized Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut's handling of a no-confidence vote debate, describing his responses as lacking substance and dialogue. Nikolić, a long-time parliamentary reporter for Nova TV, stated that Macut consistently dismissed over 20-30 alleged government scandals by simply saying "that is not true," without providing any further arguments or evidence.

Nikolić found it particularly unusual that during the parliamentary session, Prime Minister Macut used his allotted time to detail his personal medical accomplishments, including lectures on diabetes and his participation in seminars as an endocrinologist. "It was even amusing at times how Macut enjoyed talking about his personal 'medical achievements' while he is prime minister," Nikolić commented, questioning the relevance of these details to a citizen.

“

If I accuse you of the most terrible things, and you answer me with 'that is not true,' without any other arguments, we have no dialogue.

The timing of the no-confidence vote, initiated in February but held in late July, was also questioned by Nikolić. She suggested the government strategically scheduled it during a period of low television viewership to minimize public attention. The debate itself saw MP Miroslav Aleksić speak for approximately four hours, detailing various government affairs. Nikolić noted that while Aleksić's lengthy speech might highlight the number of issues, it also risked diluting the focus.

Nikolić observed that Macut's response, which reportedly lasted over an hour, seemed designed to counter Aleksić's extended speech. She inferred that Aleksić might have intended his long address to provoke a similarly lengthy, perhaps less focused, response from the Prime Minister. The journalist concluded that Macut's dismissive approach prevented any meaningful dialogue regarding the serious accusations raised.

“

It was even amusing at times how Macut enjoyed talking about his personal 'medical achievements' while he is prime minister. He literally listed lectures on diabetes, on obesity, which seminars he participated in as an endocrinologist, which is fantastic for Macut, but I don't see why I'm interested in that as a citizen.