The Serbian Parliament has approved the composition of the new government headed by medical professor Djuro Matsut.
With 153 votes in favour, MPs elected the new government, which will have 30 ministers, 10 of whom are new names. Forty-six deputies voted against.
According to the local service of Radio Liberty, Matsut said in his speech that Serbia is tired of splits and blockades, that it is necessary to work on harmonizing society, that harmony can be built through dialogue, tolerance, work and building a system of values. He said that his first priority would be the normal functioning of schools and faculties.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated the election of the new government and wished the new Prime Minister Djuro Matsuta and his cabinet members to “free the country from terror and put it back on the path of success”.
On 28 January, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned. This came amid mass protests that began after the collapse of the cement canopy of the Novi Sad railway station last November, killing 16 people. The tragedy sparked nationwide demonstrations in Serbia, with protesters accusing the government of corruption and poor oversight.
President Vucic said he accepted the prime minister’s resignation reluctantly, insisting that Vucevic had “done nothing wrong”.