Serbien vor dramatischen Entscheidungen: Aufbruch oder Absturz?

After a long period of political uncertainty as well as economic and social decline, stable political relations returned to Serbia, the key country of the Western Balkans. The country's new strongman since the last elections in March 2014, Aleksandar Vucic, announced far-reaching reforms affecting the state and society. His government, equipped with a plush two-thirds majority in parliament, has every possibility to implement this promise. Though Vucic renewed his coalition with the old Socialist junior partners, he is not subject to pressure from them in the pursuit of his political goals. "There is no excuse now", was the overwhelming sentiment and conclusion in the local media on the inauguration ofVucic's cabinet. The only limits to the reformist potential concern the management expertise and a growing personality cult around Vucic. The damage that the Vucic cult did to state institutions was exposed almost immediately with his authoritarian stance during the record flooding that devastated Serbia in mid-May 2014. Then the Prime Minister delivered harsh lessons left and right to cabinet ministers and other officials, often during live broadcasts of emergency government meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]