Orlic: New Serbian parliament to have six deputy speakers

BELGRADE - The deputy president of the Head Committee of Serbia's ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Vladimir Orlic said on Thursday consultations between political groups in the new national parliament had been completed successfully and that nine groups that had accepted an invitation to consultations would propose that the parliament have six deputy speakers.

"All nine groups from the parliamentary majority and the opposition that honoured the invitation by Stojan Radenovic (who presided over the first session of the parliament as the oldest MP) to discuss joint work in the National Assembly will jointly propose that the 14th Assembly have six deputy speakers - two from the SNS, one each from minority national communities - Hungarians and Bosniaks - one from the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and one representative from the opposition We, A Voice from The People list," a statement released by the SNS quoted Orlic as saying.

He said the number of women among the parliament's top officials was certain to be higher than ever before.

Orlic said that, under an agreement reached at the consultations, two opposition groups would be heading the parliamentary committee on the diaspora and Serbs in the region and the committee on education, science and technological development.

"An agreement on the makeup of parliamentary delegations was also reached. A delegation to the joint Republic of Serbia-Republika Srpska parliamentary forum - established at the end of last year - will be formed for the first time," Orlic said.

On Wednesday and Thursday, representatives of the SNS-led Serbia Must Not Stop electoral list, the coalition around the SPS, the We, A Voice From The People list and minority lists attended consultations on the election of the parliament's deputy speakers and working bodies, while the opposition Serbia Against Violence and Hope for Serbia coalitions rejected invitations to take part.