Protesting Serbian students from 14 faculties and colleges in Novi Sad have announced the criteria for the formation of an expert government and its powers, BGNES reported.

As the first criterion for the formation of such a government, the students pointed to the lack of any connection with the executive and legislative powers. According to them, the ministers should be persons who have not held positions in the executive or the legislature, i.e. those who have not held political office. This criterion is crucial to ensure a politically neutral approach to decision-making, free from the influence of partisan interests and political pressure. In this way, the selection of ministers will be focused on expertise and not on political affiliation," the protesters against President Aleksandar Vucic's regime said on Instagram.
The second criterion is detachment from political parties and movements.

Ministers, according to the students, should not be members of political parties or act within political movements that have participated or attempted to participate in elections in order to preserve their independence in decision-making and prevent any political manipulation. This criterion is intended to ensure that new ministers are guided solely by the interests of citizens and the profession and not by the interests of political organisations or particular groups.

Ministerial candidates must be proven and recognised experts with significant experience and achievements in their field.
"Their knowledge and competence must be confirmed through relevant academic, professional and research activities. This is the only way to ensure that the new government will make quality and informed decisions that will contribute to the development of key sectors in society," the students said.

They cited knowledge of public administration and management skills as the fourth criterion for forming an expert government.
"Although the candidates should not be politically involved, they should have enough experience in dealing with the civil service or similar institutions to effectively manage ministries and take concrete steps to solve problems," the protesting students said.
Another criterion is that ministers must have moral conduct, high ethical integrity and clear evidence that they have not been involved in any form of corruption, malpractice or unethical behaviour, as well as having support among students, academics and the general public. This criterion, according to the students, ensures the legitimacy of the selected candidates and the trust of the people.
The expert government should have a clear term limit of 8 to 12 months.

"The government will have a clear timeframe for action, with a mandate that lasts between 8 and 12 months. This period will be long enough to implement key reforms and achieve the goals that have been set as priorities, but short enough to avoid potentially staying in power too long. This mandate will allow the government to focus exclusively on making the necessary changes and getting out of the current political and social crisis, without the possibility of growing into a long-term political entity," the students said.

In order to preserve the independence and objectivity of ministers, the students propose that all members of the new government be required to give a written guarantee that they will not participate in political functions for eight years after the end of their mandate.
The purpose of the guarantee is to ensure that members of the government remain focused on resolving the current crisis and implementing reforms, without political interests or ambitions that could jeopardise their decisions and actions in the public interest.
It also prevents government members from using their political position as a springboard to further their political careers, thereby reducing the risk of political manipulation and unwanted interests. | BGNES