SSP on naming bypass after Mrkonjić: What's next, naming something after Milošević or Kertés?

The Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) has strongly criticized the Serbian government's decision to name a Belgrade bypass after Milutin Mrkonjić, a former minister and high-ranking official of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). The SSP views this move as a clear indication that the current authorities are attempting to present the 1990s, a period often associated with conflict and political turmoil, as an era worthy of pride.

The opposition party deemed it "senseless" to name a major infrastructure project after a politician. They drew a stark contrast between President Aleksandar Vučić's administration removing a sign for Boulevard of Zoran Đinđić, a reformist prime minister assassinated in 2003, while readily naming the bypass after Mrkonjić. The SSP posed a rhetorical question, asking if naming infrastructure after figures like Slobodan Milošević or Jovica Stanišić would be the next step, implying a dangerous trend of rehabilitating controversial figures from that era.

The Serbian government, however, defended the decision. In a statement from last November, they explained that Mrkonjić had been involved in the Belgrade bypass project since 1991 and significantly contributed to its realization. The government emphasized the project's importance in diverting transit traffic from the capital, reducing congestion, and improving environmental conditions. The justification highlighted Mrkonjić's role in a key infrastructure development aimed at modernizing the city.

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What is next? That something be named after Milošević or Kertés?