Serbian Renewal Movement

Serbian Renewal Movement
Српски покрет обнове
Srpski pokret obnove
Leader Vuk Drašković
Founder Vuk Drašković
Founded March 14, 1990
Headquarters Knez Mihailova Street 48, Belgrade
Military wing Serbian Guard (1991)
Membership  (2012) 70,000[1]
Ideology Monarchism,
Pro-Europeanism,
Anti-communism
Political position Centre-right
European affiliation None
National Assembly
5 / 250
Website
www.spo.rs
Politics of Serbia
Political parties
Elections

The Serbian Renewal Movement (Serbian: Српски покрет обнове / Srpski pokret obnove) is a monarchist political party in Serbia.

History

The SPO was founded in 1990 by Vuk Drašković following his departure from the Serbian National Renewal (SNO) party. The SPO was part of the Zajedno coalition in the 1996 parliamentary election which received 23.8% of the popular vote, losing to the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). In 1997, Drašković ran twice for president but finished third in both elections. Its party won the third largest number of seats in that year's Serbian parliamentary elections. A dissident group inside the party abandoned the SPO and formed New Serbia (NS) in 1997.

In early 1999, the SPO joined the Slobodan Milošević-led government, and Drašković became a Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister. The SPO had a place in Serbia's Rambouillet Agreement delegation and held posts such as the Yugoslav Information Ministry to show a more pro-Western face to the world in the run-up to NATO's bombing campaign in 1999 against the country. In the midst of the war, Drašković and the SPO pulled out of the government, calling on Milošević to surrender to NATO.

The SPO participated in an attempt to overthrow Milošević in 1999, which faltered after Drašković broke off his alliance with opposition leader Zoran Đinđić. This caused the anti-Milošević elements to suggest that he was working for Milošević.

Party offices in Novi Sad

In the revolutionary 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in which Milošević lost, the Serbian Renewal Movement overestimated its strength and ran independently, outside of the vast Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalition. Vojislav Mihajlović, grandson of Chetnik commander Draža Mihajlović, was its presidential candidate. He was opposed by Vojislav Koštunica of DOS, Slobodan Milošević of the ruling SPS and Tomislav Nikolić of the Serbian Radical Party. The SPO's vote collapsed, with its traditional voters drawn by Kostunica's conservative nationalism and by the fact that he was their best hope to remove Milošević from power.

There was talk before the 5 October coup d'état of dissolving the Mirko Marjanović government in Serbia and setting up a government with the Serbian Radical Party. Following the coup, the SPO participated in a so-called national unity government that served effectively under DOS "coordinator" Zoran Đinđić. In December 2000, after two months of DOS rule, Serbian parliamentary elections were held. The SPO, once the strongest opposition, failed to enter the parliament.

In 2003, Drašković called for the re-establishment of a parliamentary monarchy in Serbia as the best means for its European integration.[2]

The party fought the December 2003 legislative elections in a coalition with New Serbia. The coalition received 7.7% of the popular vote and 22 seats in parliament. 13 of these were allocated to the SPO. In turn, the coalition had dispatched 8 deputies into the federal Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro.

SPO-NS became part of Vojislav Koštunica's first elected cabinet. Vuk Drašković was selected for Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Following a split in the party, 9 members of parliament joined the newly formed Serbian Democratic Renewal Movement leaving the SPO with only 4. One of the 4 was then bought off by the political tycoon Bogoljub Karić to form his party's list.

The SPO participated in the 2007 election independently and received 3.33% of the vote, winning no seats.

In the 2008 elections the SPO took part in the For a European Serbia coalition under President Boris Tadić, receiving 38.42% of the vote and 102 seats in parliament. Four seats were given to the SPO along with the Ministry of Diaspora portfolio.

Presidents of the Serbian Renewal Movement (1990–Present)

# President Born-Died Term start Term end
1 Vuk Drašković 1946– 14 March 1990 Incumbent

Parliamentary elections

Year Popular vote % of popular vote Overall seats won Seat change Notes Government
1990 794,789 15.79%
19 / 250
 Increase 19 opposition
1992 797.831 16.89%
30 / 250
 Increase 11 Coalition DEPOS opposition
1993 715,564 16.64%
37 / 250
 Increase 7 Coalition DEPOS opposition
1997 793,988 19.18%
45 / 250
 Increase 8 opposition
2000 141,296 3.77%
0 / 250
 Decrease 45 opposition
2003 293,082 7.66%
13 / 250
 Increase 13 Coalition with NS government
2007 227,580 3.33%
0 / 250
 Decrease 13 opposition
2008 1,590,200 38.42%
4 / 250
 Increase 4 Coalition ZES government
2012 255,546 6.53%
4 / 250
 Steady Coalition Turnover! opposition
2014 1,736,920 48.35%
5 / 250
 Increase 1 Coalition around SNS government support

References

  1. ↑ "Partijsku knjižicu ima više od milion građana" (in Serbian). Blic. 30 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "Monarchy is key to European integration: Draskovic". B92. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 9 December 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serbian Renewal Movement.