Belgrade, January 31st – February 5th – Stray dogs, poor waste management and city pollution, unlicensed construction, unresolved issues with parks and public spaces, lack of sewerage in the suburban areas, city traffic and holes in the roads are the problems most frequently mentioned by Belgrade citizens in the online poll “Coffee with the MP” that initiative’s “I Choose Whom I Choose” team from Belgrade conducted. The citizens of Belgrade will decide which of these topics is the most alarming during dotmocracy, which will take place on Saturday, February 11th, from 1 to 3pm, at the plateau in front of Belgrade City Library in Knez Mihailova Street.
Out of 104 participants in the poll 45 percent of them declared they were interested in meeting with the MPs for a coffee. Belgrade municipalities were unwilling to publish the poll on their web and social network pages.
“I Choose Whom I Choose” is the initiative for Serbian election system reform that is carried out by the citizens of twelve cities, gathered around the National Coalition for Decentralization, Media and Reform Center Niš and CSO Serbia on the Move. Induced by the fact that citizens don’t choose their representatives in the Parliament, but the political parties are making that choice instead because the malfunctioning election system allows them to, the activists inform their fellow citizens about the flaws of the current election system and motivate them to join the initiative. The goal of the initiative is to reform the election system in Serbia in order to provide equitable geographic representation of citizens in the Parliament, accountability of chosen representatives, gender equality in the Parliament and representation of minority groups and communities.
I choose whom I choose – putting the citizens’ and community interests in front of political parties’