Politics of SerbiaBy: Benedict “Viktor” Gombocz

Serbia’s politics take place in structure of parliamentary democracy.

PM is head of government; President is head of state.

Serbia is parliamentary democracy.

Serbia’s political system: Introduction

PM, who leads a cabinet, exercises executive power.

National Assembly selects PM on president’s suggestion; president appoints delegate after discussions with all parliamentary leaders.

PM appoints cabinet members, who are validated by National Assembly.

Serbia’s political system: Executive power

Legislative power rests in National Assembly, which comprises 250 proportionally elected deputies by secret ballot.

Serbia’s political system: Legislative power

Much like other parliamentary democracies, Serbia is multi-party system, with a number of political parties where no single party of gaining power by itself, resulting in creation of coalition governments.

Elections, held every four years, take place on parliamentary, provincial and local level, and presidential elections are held every five years.

Serbia’s political system: Elections

Judiciary, dependent on neither executive nor legislative power, is structure of courts that interprets and applies law.

The structure contains local courts, Constitutional Court, and Supreme Court of Classification.

Serbia’s political system: Judiciary

Serbia is participant of UN, OSCE, Council of State, BSEC, NATO Partnership for Peace, CEFTA, ICC, IMF, World Bank, Southeast European Cooperation Process, Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, and Central European Initiative.

Serbia is currently one of five official candidates for membership in the EU.

It also a candidate for the WTO; it is expected to become a member by 2013.

Serbia’s participation in international organizations

Capital (and largest city): Belgrade

Official languages: Serbian* Government: Parliamentary

republic President: Tomislav Nikolić Prime Minister: Ivica Dačić Speaker of Parliament:

Nebojša Stefanović Legislature: National

Assembly

◦ *Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn, and Albanian are official regional languages in Vojvodina.

Serbia’s government

Map of Vojvodina

Serbia’s unicameral legislature. Made up of 250 proportionally elected deputies

by secret ballot, on four-year term. Elects a president, or speaker, who directs the

meetings. Current president is Nebojša Stefanović since 23

July 2012. Exercises supreme legislative power. Adopts and modifies Constitution, elects

Government, names and discharges Constitutional Court judges, president of Supreme Court of Cassation, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia and other state officials.

Every decision is made by majority vote of delegates at the meeting where most delegates are present; this excludes revising the Constitution, when two-thirds majority is required.

Convenes in House of the National Assembly in Belgrade.

Serbia’s National Assembly

Seating in Serbia’s National Assembly

Let’s Get Serbia Moving (Sky Blue)

Choice for a Better Life (Yellow)

Socialist Party of Serbia, United Pensioners of Serbia & United Serbia (Red)

U-Turn (Orange) Democratic Party of Serbia

(Blue) United Regions of Serbia

(Teal) Ethnic Minorities (Green)

Serbia’s National Assembly: Current parliamentary groups and parties

Born 15 February 1952 in Kragujevac. President of Serbia since 31 May 2012. Also founder of Serbian Progressive Party, and was its leader

until he was elected President. Was elected to five-year term as President in runoff round of

2012 presidential election, having won against Boris Tadić. Previously served as long-time member and MP of Serbian

Radical Party (SRS). Was also Deputy PM of Serbia from 1998-1999 and Deputy

PM of FR Yugoslavia in coalition government, from 1999-2000.

Was deputy leader of Radical Party from 2003. Served briefly as President of the National Assembly of

Serbia in 2007; resigned in 2008 after disagreement with party leader Vojislav Šešelj concerning Serbian relations with EU, as Nikolić was in favor of Serbia’s candidacy for the organization, an approach strongly opposed by Šešelj and his group.

Subsequently created Serbian Progressive Party, which some SRS affiliates joined.

Was candidate for President of Yugoslavia in 2000 election, in which he came in third; also was a nominee for President of Serbia four times (elections of 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2012).

Gathered most votes in 2003 election, but election was called off due to low turnout, while he came in second in 2004 and 2008 behind Boris Tadić.

Tomislav Nikolić

Born 1 January 1966 in Prizren. PM of Serbia since 27 July 2012, and Minister

of Internal Affairs since 7 July 2008. Leader of Socialist Party of Serbia. Previously served as Deputy PM of Serbia

from 2008-2012. Graduated from University of Belgrade in

1989. Joined Socialist Party in 1991, rapidly rising in

the party’s statuses; became its spokesman in 1992 under mentor and President of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević.

Became associate of main board after Bulldozer Revolution and Milošević’s ousting (2000-2001), becoming party leader in 2006.

Has worked to change the party from its previous nationalist policies; has declared a path in favor of the EU.

Ivica Dačić

Born 20 November 1976 in Belgrade.

President of the National Assembly of Serbia since 23 July 2012.

Member of Serbian Progressive Party.

Nebojša Stefanović

Right-wing political party. Was created when a group of twenty-one MPs led by

Tomislav Nikolić of Serbian Radical Party (SRS), displeased with the party’s direction, abandoned that party and established Forward Serbia parliamentary group.

Was founded on and held its first congress meeting on 21 October 2008.

Of Serbian Radical Party’s envoys elected in 2008 parliamentary election, twenty-one moved to Serbian Progressive Party; fifty-six stayed in SRS.

Created pre-election coalition with New Serbia, Strength of Serbia Movement and Movement of Socialists to partake in 2012 election.

Directed Let’s Get Serbia Moving coalition in 2012 parliamentary election, taking fifty-five out of seventy-three seats won by that coalition, in National Assembly.

Party chairman Tomislav Nikolić won against incumbent and Democratic Party challenger Boris Tadić in 2012 presidential election’s second round; Nikolić resigned as chairman on 24 May 2012, after his election as President of Serbia.

Deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić took over as acting chairman and was elected chairman on 29 September 2012, with Jorgavanka Tabaković as deputy; he will hold the post until next party congress will elect new chairman.

Has special cooperation with Freedom Party of Austria and United Russia; seeks membership in European People’s Party.

Serbian Progressive Party

Democratic socialist political party. Is also widely identified as a

nationalist party, but SPS itself does not officially acknowledge this.

Founded on 16 June 1990 as merger of League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Serbia, led by Radmila Anđelković.

Describes its political position as centre-left, a position debated by critics.

Socialist Party of Serbia

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