June 16 (SeeNews) - Serbian prime minister-designate Ana Brnabic said the new government will stay on reform course to improve the quality of life of the country's citizens.
"I wish to thank the president for the great trust to run the Serbia government and continue the reform with dedication and strength," Brnabic said in a video file posted on the website of public broadcaster RTS late on Thursday.
Brnabic, the incumbent minister of public administration and local self-government, is not affiliated to any party and is expected to succeed Aleksandar Vucic at the helm of the government, becoming the first female prime minister of Serbia. Vucic, who won the presidential elections in April, gave a mandate for the formation of a government to Brnabic on Thursday. The nomination of Brnabic needs to be endorsed by parliament.
"Together with the team of the government of Serbia, and all state institutions, I will continue the work on the reform of the state administration," Brnabic said.
It was not an easy decision but it is completely in the interest of Serbia, Vucic told a news conference in Belgrade late on Thursday. Brnabic had informed him that most members of parliament will support the new government, he added.
The future prime minister must ensure the further strengthening of the reputation of the country and the continuation of the ongoing reforms, as it is extremely important to strengthen Serbia's reputation in the international community, both in the West and the East, in relations with the EU, Russia, China, the United States and the Arab countries, Vucic said.
"I believe Ana Brnabic has the personal and professional qualities to be a prime minister and I am sure that she will show respect to political parties and that she will work for the benefit of Serbia with other ministers," Vucic said.
Brnabic will deliver a speech in parliament on June 21 to reveal the programme of the new government. The parliament will vote on the new government on June 22, RTS reported on Thursday.
REACTIONS
Serbia's infrastructure minister and member of the executive board of governing conservative Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Zorana Mihajlovic, expressed confidence that Brnabic will continue the reforms initiated by the government of PM Vucic.
"I expect Ana Brnabic to get an overwhelming support from the MPs and to head a team that will keep leading Serbia to the EU," Mihajlovic said in a statement on Thursday.
Foreign minister Ivica Dacic, who is leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), the main coalition partner of SNS, said he is not disappointed with the choice of Vucic, but he expects his party to have a more serious participation in the new government.
The leader of opposition party Dveri, Bosko Obradovic said it is evident that Western power centres have greater confidence in Brnabic than in any member of SNS or its coalition partners, RTS reported.
In a separate statement, Serbia's Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Brankica Jovanovic, said the appointment of the first female prime minister of Serbia represents a crucial step towards gender equality.
"Less than a year after she became the first publicly declared LGBT person among the ministers, Brnabic is at the helm of the government, with Serbia getting its first female and self-declared LGBT prime minister and finding itself equal to Iceland, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg," Serbian LGBT rights organisation "Da se zna" said in a statement.
BRNABIC BIOGRAPHY
Brnabic, born September 28, 1975, in Belgrade, has been the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia since August 11, 2016.
She holds a degree in business administration from Northwood University, Michigan, and an MBA in marketing from the University of Hull, England.
Between 2002 and 2011, Brnabic worked for USAID and supported the establishment of the Serbian National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) in 2006. Brnabic worked for Continental Wind Serbia between 2011 and 2013, when she was named vice president of NALED. She has been the president of NALED since 2016.