Dejan Šoškić faces academic allegations and heated economic debate

Political tensions in Serbia have escalated following allegations of academic misconduct and a heated televised debate between government and opposition figures. Members of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), including Ana Brnabić and Aleksandar Jakšić, presented documentation alleging that Dejan Šoškić, a former Governor of the National Bank of Serbia and current candidate for the Studentska lista, did not meet the necessary requirements for his appointment as a full professor at the University of Belgrade. The allegations specifically claim that scientific papers used for his promotion were not published at the time the application was initiated.

In a separate development, a televised debate on Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) between Finance Minister Siniša Mali and Dejan Šoškić turned into a sharp confrontation over Serbia’s economic performance, public debt, and privatization models. During the exchange, Šoškić challenged the accuracy of growth data provided by Mali, while Mali criticized Šoškić’s previous tenure at the central bank regarding public debt levels. The debate also drew criticism from media observers who noted that Šoškić’s microphone appeared to be muted compared to the Minister’s, raising concerns regarding the impartiality of the public broadcaster.

Šoškić has used his campaign platform to highlight corruption and state interference in the market, arguing that reducing corruption and mismanagement of infrastructure projects could significantly increase the national budget for wages and pensions.