Zaječar Assembly Stalled as Opposition Protests Potential Mining Operations

The third session of the Zaječar City Assembly, reconvened after a nine-month hiatus, is facing significant opposition from councilors protesting against potential mining activities. The assembly, with 19 items on its agenda, including the confirmation of councilor mandates, has been stalled since its first point.

Opposition councilors, visibly unified in their stance, arrived wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with "Nećete kopati Zaječar" (You will not dig Zaječar). While initially indicating they might boycott the session, they are now present in the assembly hall. Miladin Krstić of the Ecological Uprising and a councilor from the "United for the Salvation of Zaječar" coalition voiced strong criticism against the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) representatives.

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You will not dig Zaječar

Krstić accused the SNS of attempting to maintain power without citizen support and legitimacy, referencing the assembly's failure to convene within the legal timeframe and the subsequent intervention by the Constitutional Court. He highlighted that the opposition had interrupted the session to demand answers regarding mining activities near Zaječar, presenting photographic evidence of preparations for a large mine.

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The entire East Serbia has been sold, the City of Zaječar has been sold and given to a foreign company.

"The entire East Serbia has been sold, the City of Zaječar has been sold and given to a foreign company," Krstić stated, warning that the region's rich natural and cultural resources are at risk of destruction. Following consultations between opposition groups and the ruling coalition, the assembly agreed to address the issue of mining as the first item on the agenda.

The opposition has submitted a proposal for a declaration to ban geological exploration, excavation, and mining within sanitary protection zones of water sources and in natural and cultural-historical areas of Zaječar. Krstić believes the upcoming vote on this declaration will be a clear indicator of the SNS representatives' stance on mining in the region, stating, "There is no more correction, they will not be able to get away with that answer anymore. They have a clear question, they have a proposed declaration that will ban exploration and mining, and we will see how they vote."

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There is no more correction, they will not be able to get away with that answer anymore. They have a clear question, they have a proposed declaration that will ban exploration and mining, and we will see how they vote.