| Tomislav Nikolić MP | |
|---|---|
| 9th President of the National Assembly of Serbia | |
| In office May 8, 2007 – May 13, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Predrag Marković |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Dulić |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1952 Kragujevac, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Political party | Serbian Progressive Party |
| Spouse(s) | Dragica Nikolić |
| Children | Radomir, Branislav |
| Residence | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Profession | Construction Technician |
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox |
Tomislav "Toma" Nikolić (Serbian Cyrillic: Томислав Николић; born February 15, 1952) is a Serbian politician, President of the Serbian Progressive Party. He is also a former member of the Serbian Radical Party, where he served as Deputy Leader of the party and parliamentary leader during the absence of Vojislav Šešelj. During his leadership of the party, Nikolić favored pushing the SRS towards focusing on issues such as poverty and unemployment, rather than militant nationalism. Nikolić held this post from February 23, 2003 to 6 September 2008, when he resigned following a disagreement with Šešelj regarding Serbia's relations with the European Union.[1] Nikolić then formed the Serbian Progressive Party in which several SRS politicians, including Aleksandar Vučić, joined.
He served as President of the National Assembly of Serbia between 8 and 13 May 2007 and was Deputy Prime Minister of FR Yugoslavia in the coalition government from 1999 to 2000. Nikolić ran for the President of Yugoslavia in the 2000 elections and placed third. He also ran three times for the President of Serbia (in the 2003, 2004 and 2008 elections). In 2003 he won the most votes, but the election was canceled due to low turnout. In 2004 and 2008 he placed second behind Boris Tadić.
Nikolić has published thirteen books as of 2005[update], mostly about politics. He and his wife Dragica (née Ninković) have two sons, Radomir and Branislav.[2]
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Nikolić was born in Kragujevac.
In the 1990s, he became a member of the People's Radical Party, which merged with the Serbian Chetnik Movement to form the Serbian Radical Party. Nikolić became a member of the new party on January 23, 1991. He was soon elected the party's vice-president, and at the last three Congresses of Serbian Radicals he was elected deputy president.
Nikolić has been a deputy in the National Assembly of Serbia since 1991, the only one to be elected continuously since that year. During the rule of Slobodan Milošević and the Socialist Party of Serbia, he and Šešelj were sentenced to three months in prison which he served in Gnjilane. However, in March 1998 Nikolić's Serbian Radical Party formed a coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia and Nikolić became the vice-president of the Government of Serbia and, by the end of 1999, the vice-president of the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Parliamentarians elected Nikolić the Speaker of Parliament on May 8, 2007. Nikolić defeated Milena Milošević of the Democratic Party by 142 to 99 votes out of 244 members of Parliament. The Democratic Party of Serbia endorsed him.[3] Hajredin Kuci of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Ylli Hoxha of the Reformist Party ORA, and Prime Minister of Kosovo Agim Çeku condemned the election of Nikolić as "counterproductive and dangerous for Kosovo".[4] On May 9 Nikolić met with Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Alekseyev and gave a speech to Parliament in which he advocated making Serbia part of a Belarus-Russia superstate, saying that together they would "stand up against the hegemony of America and the European Union."[5]
He resigned from his position as speaker on May 15 after the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia formed a preliminary alliance in preparation for a coalition government. He was the Speaker with the shortest mandate in the history of parliamentary democracy in the Balkans.[3][6] Nikolić told the Democratic parties that if they "peacefully accept" the independence of Kosovo] the Radical Party "will not sit calmly and wait."[6]
Nikolić is also known for his controversial statements made in public. On 28 February 2003, about 20 days before the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, he said: "If anyone of you, in the following month or two, sees Zoran Đinđić, tell him that Tita also had a problem with a leg before his death" [2]. He also stated that Serbian president Boris Tadić was ustasha [3], and that he was not sorry for the death of Serbian journalist Slavko Ćuruvija [4] [5]. His public statements include that he still dreams about Greater Serbia as a state where all Serbs will once live in [6], and that Russian troops should be allowed to build a military base in Serbia at the strategic location Pasuljanske livade [7].
Nikolić ran in the FR Yugoslavia presidential election of 2000, finishing in third place behind Vojislav Koštunica and Slobodan Milošević.
Nikolić also ran in the 2003 Serbian presidential election where he achieved most votes in the first round with 46,23%, ahead of Dragoljub Mićunović, but the results of the election were invalid due to a turnout of only 38,80%.
Nikolić made yet another bid for presidency in the 2004 presidential election. In the first round, he received 30.1% of the vote and Boris Tadić received 27.3%. In the second round held on June 27, Nikolić lost to Tadić having only secured 45.4% of the vote, while Tadić obtained 53.7%.
Tomislav Nikolić ran again for presidency in the 2008 presidential election. His slogan was With All Heart (Serbian: Свим срцем, Svim srcem). On January 20, 2008, Nikolić again won the first round with 39.99% of the vote. Nikolić and incumbent Boris Tadić, who got 35.39% of the vote, then faced each other in a runoff election on February 3. Nikolić lost to Tadić receiving 2,197,155 or 47.97% of votes.[7]
Nikolić abruptly resigned from Radical Party leadership on September 6, 2008. Serbian media cites differences between Nikolić and other Radical Party hierarchy, especially party leader Vojislav Šešelj, about how the party should react to proposed European Union membership for Serbia.[8] In the following days Nikolić formed a parliamentary group with a number of other Radical Party representatives called "Napred Srbijo" (Forward, Serbia).[9] Nikolić stated to the press that the "old Serbian Radical Party no longer exists".[10] On September 11, 2008 Vojislav Šešelj addressed to all Radical Party members by the letter. He named Nikolić and his group as "traitors, western puppets and agents". He also called all SRS members to remain loyal to the ideology of "Serbian nationalism, anti-globalism and pro-Russian politics".[11] On September 12, 2008 Nikolić and his group were officially ejected from the Radical Party.[12] In reply, Nikolić announced he would form his own party.[13] The founding congress is to be held on 21 October 2008.[14]
On September 24, 2008 he announced that his new party's name would be Serbian Progressive Party and that the first convention would be held on October 21.[15]
On February 5, on the area in front of the National Assembly, Nikolić and his political supporters – Milanka Karić (Strength of Serbia Movement, wife of Bogoljub Karić), Velimir Ilić (New Serbia), Aleksandar Vulin (Movement of Socialists) and Aleksandar Vučić organized a protest demanding early parliamentary elections. According to an official Serbian police report there were around 55,000 people present.
On April 16, 2011 Nikolić organized a larger protest with the same request. He also started a thirst and hunger strike that morning and later moved to the national parliament. He stated that his goal is to force the current Serbian government (led by Boris Tadić) into holding early parliamentary elections.[16] On April 17, Boris Tadić came to visit Nikolić in his chambers at the parliament. There was no consensus, but Tadić advised Nikolić to stop striking for his own good. Short after his visit, Nikolić's condition worsened and he was taken to the Belgrade KBC in New Belgrade (Private hospital). Serbian media regularly reports on his condition. In the night of April 17 his arterial tension was high (150/100 mmHg).[17] He has also been refusing to receive intravenous therapy or medication.[17]
In 2005, the Humanitarian Law Center asked the War Crimes Prosecution Office to investigate a massacre committed in the Croatian village of Antin in the then-SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in August 1991. Survivors claimed that it was committed by the members of volunteer units “Šešelj’s followers”, among whom Tomislav Nikolić was mentioned. The inspiration for initiating such a claim were previous statements of Nikolić regarding his involvement in the Yugoslav wars. He was awarded a title of chetnik voivode (Chetnik duke) by Vojislav Šešelj for “showing by a personal example how one should fight for the Serb ideal in the battles in Slavonia”.[18]
The suspicion that Nikolić had taken part in the killing of civilians in Antin was first raised by Žarko Korać, a member of the National Assembly of Serbia, who first revealed information about the Antin massacre in an interview to RFE in June 2005. In the same month, Vladimir Popović, former chief of the Government Communications Bureau, revealed more details in the interview to B92 Insajder saying that he had learned about these allegations from Jovica Stanišić, former head of State Security.[19] Nataša Kandić, human rights activist, wrote in a public letter that she was in possession of evidence that indicates Nikolić had personally participated in the killing of elderly residents of Antin.[20]
Nikolić did not deny claims that he was stationed in Antin at the time, but has stated that there were no civilian deaths in Antin and that he himself never fired a bullet.[21] Tomislav Nikolić filed a lawsuit on September 12, 2005, as Kandić stated on B92 that "some civilians in the Croatian village of Antin suffered under his hand in 1991."[22] The Serbian Radical Party then accused the NGO of spreading anti-Serbian sentiments.[1] The Croatian ministry of the interior also stated that they did not have any information on Nikolić's offences in Antin.[22]
After Kandić refused to apologize, Nikolić sued her for defamation.[23] The court found Nataša Kandić guilty on charges of defamation in February 2009. Nikolić was also given right to seek material compensation.[24] International human rights organization Front Line condemned the charges as "part of a campaign aimed at stigmatizing human right defenders and human rights organisations operating in Serbia, portraying them as enemies of the country",[25] and Human Rights Watch named the case as an example of criminal libel laws used as "a tool to silence human rights criticisms."[26] The charges were later overturned on appeal by the Belgrade District Court.[27]
| Preceded by Predrag Marković |
President of the National Assembly of Serbia May 8, 2007–May 13, 2007 |
Succeeded by Oliver Dulić |
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