Vučić thinks it's time for Serbia to become Belarus

Has Aleksandar Vučić decided that his false path toward the EU is over and that it is time for Serbia to become Belarus? Or does he truly believe that Europe would accept a new Milošević?

This question arises from the proposed amendment to Article 19 of the Law on the Serbian Armed Forces, which places the Chief of the General Staff under the direct authority of the President of the Republic. This represents the most dangerous attack on the constitutional order and Serbia’s European path in the past two decades.

The proposed amendment is not a technical adjustment—it is a fundamental assault on the constitutional system, the rule of law, and the principle of civilian control of the army as prescribed by the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia.

Through this proposal, the government is attempting to grant the President of the Republic operational powers that the Constitution does not provide for anywhere. The President of Serbia is the Supreme Commander in a symbolic and strategic sense, but the Constitution DOES NOT grant him the right to issue individual orders to the army or to transform the chain of command into a personal instrument of power.

With this move, Serbia is rapidly distancing itself from democracy and the European Union, which require a depoliticized, institutionally controlled, and professional army, and is moving closer to countries with authoritarian command models—Russia, Belarus, China, and Turkey—where the president personally commands the armed forces.

A common feature of these regimes is complete personal control over the military. This would give Vučić the ability to use the armed forces in internal political conflicts and to turn a professional army into a personal armed force—something that is unacceptable in a democratic society and directly contrary to Serbia’s path toward membership in the European Union.

We call on all institutions, independent experts, members of parliament, and citizens to clearly and decisively reject this dangerous legislative proposal.

Serbia must choose a European future—and not become a copy of Russia, Belarus, China, or Turkey.