Orlic: We will not allow repeat of October 5 scenario

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Vladimir Orlic, who is also a Serbian Progressive Party deputy president, says the opposition Serbia Against Violence coalition was talking about alleged electoral irregularities beforehand and that this indicates it was preparing riots.

The authorities will not allow a repeat of the October 5 scenario, Orlic told Tanjug.

"If they think they will again be able to burn and loot like they did on October 5 (2000) and they are hoping for that, may it be clear to them we will not allow them to do that. Their foreign friends, the two Austrians (observers) who have been making derogatory comments about our elections since leaving Serbia, will not be able to help them with that, either," he said.

Asked if security in and around the parliament building had been stepped up due to potential riots, Orlic responded there was no need for that because there was only a small number of extremists, consigned by voters to a "deep political margin."