Mladen Dinkic, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, tendered his resignation on Tuesday, responding to calls for his dismissal by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic a day earlier, reported the Serbian news agency Tanjug.
Dinkic, leader of G17 Plus, a partner in the ruling coalition, said he did not want to challenge the dismissal process which could impact negatively on parliament, Xinhua reported.
"Rather than hinder the work of the National Assembly, I hereby resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy," said Dinkic in a statement.
"I want the government to remain stable until the end of term and I do not want to be perceived as an obstacle to Serbia's European integration," stated Dinkic, who in a letter to Prime Minister Cvetkovic said he would recommend a candidate for his replacement from his political party, according to the terms of their coalition agreement.
On Monday, Cvetkovic's announcement that he would be initiating the dismissal of Dinkic led to speculation of early elections in Serbia among opposition leaders and political analysts anticipating a political crisis in the ruling coalition government.
Cvetkovic accused Dinkic of undermining the "reputation, unity and priorities" of the government. Along with Dinkic, the State Secretary for Finance, Slobodan Ilic, was also to be dismissed. The two had recently clashed publicly over policies pertaining to foreign investments.
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