Speaking in a Serbian television program on Wednesday evening, Nikolic said that a state of emergency could be declared if it was estimated that the situation regarding Kosovo's status was extremely difficult. Nikolic's statement was today condemned by parties, individuals and the Serbian government.
The head of the government's press service, Srdjan Djuric, said there was no need whatsoever for the introduction of a state of emergency. This position was shared by the head of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Milos Aligrudic.
Aligrudic also said that the DSS did not believe that Nikolic, elected parliament speaker on Tuesday, should resign or be replaced over his statement.
A senior official of the Democratic Party, Dragoljub Micunovic, said that Nikolic's statement was the most dangerous of all of his recent statements because declaring a state of emergency to keep power would usher in a sort of dictatorship.
"The Radicals have shown in the shortest possible time their real ambition, to de facto suspend democratic institutions in the name of patriotism and jeopardised national interests," Micunovic said.
The Social-Democratic Union (SDU) of Zarko Korac urged new elections to give citizens the opportunity to decide between pro-European and anti-European policies.
The SDU's position was shared by the Liberal Democratic Party of Cedomir Jovanovic.
A professor of comparative law, Vesna Rakic Vodinelic, told Radio B92 that Nikolic had abused his office and that his statement was an attempt to keep power in case President Boris Tadic dissolved the parliament and called new elections.
The editor of a law journal, Vladimir Todoric, said that declaration of a state of emergency by the parliament required 126 of the 250 votes and added that he considered Nikolic's statement a response to the possible dissolution of the parliament and new elections.
A former president of the Serbian Constitutional Court, Slobodan Vucetic, told Tanjug news agency that the realisation of Nikolic's statement would constitute a coup and would be the best demonstration of the extremely dangerous and detrimental policy of the Radical Party and its supporters.
The G 17 Plus party will join again in negotiations on the formation of a new government if Nikolic is removed from the post of parliament speaker, party vice-president Ivana Dulic Markovic said today.
After Nikolic's election, deputies of G 17 Plus withdrew from negotiations on the formation of a new government and walked out of parliament.
Under the Serbian constitution, a new government must be formed by Monday, May 14. If not, the Serbian president will have to dissolve the parliament and call new parliamentary elections.