At the request of 97 Deputies from the Democratic Opposition of Serbia Deputies' Group, Chairperson of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Natasa Micic convened the Third Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2002 for 18 June, beginning at 10 in the morning.

Together with the request for holding the sitting, the group of Deputies set the following agenda for the sitting:

1. A motion to elect a number of Government members, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;

2. A motion of the President of the Republic to elect the Presiding Justice and Justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia;

3. Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2002, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;

4. Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Tax on Financial Transactions, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;

5. Bill Amending and Modifying the Entrepreneurs Act, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;

6. Proposal of a Decision Amending and Modifying the Decision on the Election of Members of Committees of the National Assembly of Serbia, submitted by Deputy Cedomir Jovanovic, chairman of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia Deputies' Group.

Before discussion began, Chairperson Natasa Micic informed the Deputies that the session was being attended by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Ministers in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Secretary of the Republic Legislative Secretariat, and candidates for new members of the Government. Also invited to attend the session were representatives of the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, `Otpor` Popular Movement, and the National Democratic Institute.

The National Assembly noted that Goran Novakovic had resigned as Minister of Mining and Energy in the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

At the proposal of Deputy Cedomir Jovanovic, chairman of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia Deputies' Group, the National Assembly decided to hold joint debate in principle on Bills Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2002 and the Act on the Tax on Financial Transactions.

New Government members elected

The motion for the election of a number of members of the Government was set forth by the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia Zoran Djindjic.

When work resumed, the motion was debated, and, when discussion ended, the National Assembly was again addressed by the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The Chairperson of the National Assembly set 19 June as the day that voting on the Motion to elect a number of Government members would be held.
In the afternoon part of the session, the National Assembly ended the debate on the Motion, submitted by the President of the Republic, to elect the Presiding Justice and Justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia.

Chairperson Natasa Micic informed the Deputies that they would be informed timely of the day set for voting on this Motion.

At the beginning of the second day of work, the National Assembly adopted as a whole the Motion to elect a number of members of the Government.
The National Assembly elected Miodrag Isakov MA Deputy Prime Minister, Rodoljub Sabovic Minister for State Administration and Local Self-government, Kori Udovicki Minister for Mining and Energy, Dr Tomica Milosavljevic Minister of Health, and Dr Andjelka Mihajlov Minister for the Protection of Natural Resources and the Environment.

The new members of the Government took the oath of office.

Rebalancing the Budget

When work resumed, the Deputies held a joint debate in principle on Bills Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2002 and the Act on the Tax on Financial Transactions. When the discussion concluded, the Chairperson informed the Deputies that they would be informed of the date set for the voting.

At the beginning of the discussion, the Deputies were addressed by the Minister of Finance and Economy in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Bozidar Djelic, as the representative of the submitter.

After joint debate in principle on these two Bills concluded, and since no amendments had been submitted to the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2002, the Assembly went on to discuss the particulars of, and vote on amendments to, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Tax on Financial Transactions.

In the afternoon part of the session, the National Assembly debated in principle the Bill Amending and Modifying the Entrepreneurs Act. At the beginning of the discussion, the Deputies were addressed by the Minister of Economy and Privatisation in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. When debate in principle concluded, the Deputies voted on amendments submitted to the Bill.

When work resumed, the National Assembly held joint debate in principle on the Proposal of a Decision Amending and Modifying the Decision on the Election of Members of Committees of the National Assembly of Serbia.

At the end of the day's work, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Natasa Micic informed the Deputies that she had set 20 June as the Voting Day on items from the agenda of the Third Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly.

At the beginning of the third day of work (20 June), which had been fixed as Voting Day, the National Assembly elected Slobodan Vucetic Presiding Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia. Mirjana Rasic, Dr Srdjan Djordjevic, Branka Curcija, Dr Bosa Nenadic, Dr Milutin Djuricic and Svetozar Ciplic, MA were elected Justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia.

When work resumed, the National Assembly adopted as wholes the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2002, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Tax on Financial Transactions, as well as the Act Amending and Modifying the Entrepreneurs Act.

With the adoption of the Proposal of a Decision Amending and Modifying the Decision on the Election of Members of Committees of the National Assembly of Serbia as a whole, the Third Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia ended.