GOVERNMENT SURVIVES NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE IN PARLIAMENT

BELGRADE, JULY 29 /SRNA/ - Serbia's Parliament failed to pass a no-confidence motion against the government this evening.

TThe motion received support from 40 MPs, while 135 voted against and one abstained, out of the 175 lawmakers present. The vote was preceded by a three-day debate. Addressing Parliament before the vote, Prime Minister Đuro Macut said the government's performance would be judged not by its words, but by its actions. "Our response to the people will be to work even harder, not to take part in conflicts," Macut said. He said that the government's first objective had been to preserve peace and stability in the country, as well as economic stability, and that this had been achieved. The session was convened at the request of 109 MPs from the "Aleksandar Vučić - Serbia Must Not Stop" parliamentary group. The agenda for the session contained only one item - a motion of no confidence in the government, submitted on February 13 by 62 opposition MPs, who claimed that the government had lost its legitimacy.