Serbian new parliament's resumed session was adjourned again on Tuesday evening, without the expected election of a new parliament speaker.
However, the new speaker could be elected soon as the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) has agreed to form a coalition government with the pro-European bloc gathered around President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party (DS).
According to the coalition deal, SPS's Vice President Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic will be elected as the speaker and a proposal on her nomination was presented on the eve of the session on Tuesday.
The speaker was, however, not elected as a number of MPs of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) took the floor to criticize the acting speaker Jovan Krkobabic for disrespect of rules of procedure in convening the session.
Krkobabic convened the session's resumption on Wednesday.
The Socialists' decision ended six weeks of suspense following the May 11 general elections in which neither democrats nor nationalists were able to secure a majority in the 250-seat parliament to form a new government.
The pro-EU coalition "For a European Serbia," headed by President Tadic, came first with 102 seats in the elections, while the SRS and the nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia and New Serbia (DSS-NS) came second and third, with 78 seats and 30 seats respectively.
Since then, they have been competing for support from the SPS of the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, which won 20 seats along with its two small allies in the new parliament and played a role of kingmaker.
Last weekend, the SPS broke off talks with the coalition of Tomislav Nikolic's SRS and the DSS-NS led by outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
The SPS President Ivica Dacic cited differences over a pre-membership deal with the EU as well as a proposed plan to raise pensions as the cause for the breakup.
The Socialists want to join the EU while the nationalists, represented by the SRS and the DSS, oppose Serbia's further integration into the EU unless the bloc rejects Kosovo's unilateral independence on Feb. 17.
The pro-EU bloc, despite its opposition to Kosovo's independence, favors a speedy integration into the EU as it believes EU membership would help Serbia in the fight for maintaining Kosovo.
The new parliament's constituent session was adjourned on June 11, when the mandates of the MPs were verified and Krkobabic, as the oldest MP, was elected acting speaker, but the parties did not agree on parliamentary majority to form a new government.
Source:Xinhua
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