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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Election Tracker
Serbia
Credit:Flag courtesy of ITA’s Flags of All Countries used with permission.
Election Date: January 20, 2007
Abstract: At stake: National AssemblyAt stake: National Assembly
Background
In 1929, the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was given the name of Yugoslavia. During World War II, a Nazi invasion forced the creation of paramilitary armies that fought against them. One of them was led by Josip Broz Tito, who would later take over as head of the government in 1943, when the Nazis were repelled.
During the global conflict, the Serbs fought with another anti-Nazi guerrilla leader, Draza Mijajlovic, while the rest of the country followed Tito. In 1945, the country became the Communist Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito was elected prime minister. A year later, under a new constitution, Serbia lost Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which became constituent republics within the greater Yugoslavia.
Tito stayed in power for life. Under his rule, his opponents were brutally crushed. The country broke ties with the Soviet Union and tried to remain neutral during the Cold War.
Tito's death on May 4, 1980, made evident permanent divisions between different nationalities and ethnicities in Yugoslavia. The economy throughout the 1980s was very weak.
In 1989, Slobodan Milosevic became Serbia's president. Milosevic was an advocate of reuniting all Serbs into a "greater Serbia". His radical ideas were partly to blame for the final rupture of Yugoslavia.
Slovenia seceded in 1991. Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent states in 1992. Only two republics remained: Serbia and Montenegro. The two formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in April 1992. On that same year, Yugoslavia was suspended from the United Nations (UN).
Milosevic was to become a symbol of crimes against humanity. He enacted a brutal repression of Muslim Bosnians and led campaigns of ethnic cleansing that provoked a military intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a bloody conflict that ended in 1995. The Dayton Peace Accords were signed in November of that same year by Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. At least 100,000 people died during the conflict; another 1.8 million fled as refugees.
Milosevic became president of Yugoslavia—still formed exclusively by Serbia and Montenegro—in July 1997. A group of ethnic Albanians living in Serbia, especially in Kosovo, constantly pushed to join Albania or reach full independence from Serbia. The separatist movement sparked a brutal reprisal led by Milosevic. NATO intervened again, not before massive killings happened in the province of Kosovo. The conflict ended in June 1999.
Vojislav Kostunica, a low profile academic, won the federal election in September 2000. The president turned Milosevic over to the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague in June 2001. The gesture eventually led to Yugoslavia's readmission into the UN. The former autocrat was charged with 66 war crimes, among them genocide and crimes against humanity. Milosevic died during his trial in March 2006, and was never actually convicted.
The remnants of the Yugoslav Federation were transformed into Serbia and Montenegro on Feb. 4, 2003. In March, Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated. The politician had angered nationalists when he allowed Milosevic to be sent to The Hague.
In March 2004, a coalition administration headed by Kostunica of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) was established with the support of 130 legislators. In the June 2004 presidential election, Democratic Party (DS) candidate Boris Tadic defeated Serbian Radical Party (SRS) nominee Tomislav Nikolic in a run-off.
Click here for Serbia 2004 Election Tracker
In May 2006, Montenegro held a referendum on achieving its outright independence. The ballot passed by a small margin. On Jun. 4, Serbia and Montenegro's federal president, Svetozar Marovic, acknowledged the results and dissolved his office.
On Jun. 5, the government of Serbia recognized the end of the joint nation. Seven days later, the European Union (EU) and the United States recognized Montenegro as a sovereign country.
Serbia is now a nation of approximately 10 million people. Its capital and largest city is Belgrade. Serb is the official language, but Hungarian, Slovak, Croatian and Albanian are also widely spoken in different parts of the country.
2007 National Assembly Election
Serbia will hold a legislative ballot on Jan. 21, 2007. This will be the first democratic process since the separation from Montenegro.
On Sept. 30, 2006, the Serbian National Assembly approved the text of the new constitution, which defines Serbia—including Kosovo—as a sovereign state. Kosovo was established as an independent part of Serbia under the protection of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica expressed satisfaction with the outcome, declaring, "This is a historic day. The new constitution will cement the truth that Kosovo always has been and always will be an integral part of Serbia."
On Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, Serbian voters participated in a referendum to ratify their new body of law. On Nov. 8, Serbia's the new constitution was officially proclaimed.
On Nov. 10, the UN announced it would delay its considerations on the possible independence of Kosovo from Serbia until after the election. Kosovar ethnic Albanians, target of Milosevic's ethic cleansing campaigns, remain adamant in splitting from Serbia.
In December, Kosovo prime minister Agim Ceku wrote a letter to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Ceku urged for change, writing, "In 21st century Europe, there is a state with two million people, without a voice in the world. We demand you to hear us, without destructive postponements and half-measures, (and) show us the future."
On Jan. 5, 2007, Kostunica dismissed calls for the "supervised independence" of Kosovo, adding, "The (six-nation) talks resemble a badly directed theatre show in which Serbia doesn't accept a role of a marginal player."
Voting took place on Jan. 22. Final results gave the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) 28.6 per cent of the vote and 81 seats, followed by the Democratic Party (DS) with 22.7 per cent and 64 mandates, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) with 16.6 per cent and 47 seats, the G-17 Plus with 6.8 percent and 19 mandates, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) with 5.6 per cent and 19 seats, and a coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with 5.3 per cent and 15 mandates.
SRS leader Tomislav Nikolic acknowledged it would be difficult to form a government, adding, "We need just a little more effort and we will accomplish this in the next elections."
Serbian president Boris Tadic signaled his intention to call on the DS to assemble the next administration, saying, "Parties from the democratic side won a two-thirds parliamentary majority and this is a key signal to Europe. The Democratic Party will insist on the prime minister's post."
Current prime minister and DSS leader Vojislav Kostunica discussed the situation, saying, "We are expecting constructive talks that can start as soon as we know final results. (...) Tadic should find an individual whose program will win a majority."
On Feb. 22, DS member Dusan Petrovic urged all parties to work together and assemble an administration, declaring, "Serbia needs a new, stable government that would lead it to the European Union."
On Apr. 16, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn urged Serbian leaders to strike a deal, saying, "Every day, week and month that is lost in the formation of a new government slows down the possibility of resuming and concluding a stabilization and association agreement (with the EU)."
On May 11, Tadic announced that a deal had been reached, bringing together the Democratic Party (DS), the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) / New Serbia (NS), and the G-17 Plus to form a coalition government. The three parties hold 192 of the Serbian National Assembly's 250 seats.
Political Players
President: Boris Tadic - DS
Prime minister: Vojislav Kostunica - DSS
The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.
Legislative Branch: The Narodna Skupstina Srbije (Serbian National Assembly) has 250 members, elected to four-year terms.
Results of Last Election:
President - Jun. 13 and Jun. 27, 2004
Jun. 13 | Jun. 27 | |
Boris Tadic - | 27.3% | 53.2% |
Tomislav Nikolic - | 30.6% | 45.4% |
Bogoljub Karic - | 18.2% | -- |
Dragan Marsicanin - | 13.3% | -- |
Ivica Dacic - | 4.0% | -- |
Jelisaveta Karadordjevic - | 2.1% | -- |
Milovan Drecun - | 0.6% | -- |
Vladan Batic- | 0.5% | -- |
Branislav Ivkovic - | 0.4% | -- |
Borislav Pelevic - | 0.4% | -- |
Ljiljana Arandjelovic - | 0.3% | -- |
Marjan Risticevic - | 0.3% | -- |
Dragan Djordjevic - | 0.2% | -- |
Zoran Milinkovic - | 0.2% | -- |
Mirko Jovic - | 0.1% | -- |
Serbian National Assembly - Jan. 21, 2007
Vote% | Seats | |
Serbian Radical Party (SRS) | 28.6% | 81 |
Democratic Party (DS) | 22.7% | 64 |
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) / | 16.6% | 47 |
G-17 Plus | 6.8% | 19 |
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) | 5.6% | 16 |
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) | 5.3% | 15 |
Serbia Renewal Movement (SPO) | 3.3% | -- |
Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) | 3.1% | -- |
Strength of Serbia Movement (SS) | 1.7% | -- |
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ) | 1.3% | 3 |
Coalition List for Sandzak | 0.8% | 2 |
Roma Union of Serbia (URS) | 0.4% | 1 |
Albanian Coalition from Presevo Valley | 0.4% | 1 |
"Because it has to be better" | 0.4% | -- |
Roma Party | 0.4% | 1 |
Coalition "Hungarian Union" | 0.3% | -- |
Coalition "Vojvodina parties" | 0.2% | -- |
Democratic Community of Serbia (DZS) | 0.1% | -- |
Social Democracy (SD) | 0.1% | -- |
Reformist Party (RP) | 0.1% | -- |
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