Delegates to city and municipal assemblies were elected in single-member constituencies. If no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting, the top two candidates took part in a runoff vote in the second round.
The election results were marked by weeks of controversy. Zajedno claimed success in several major jurisdictions, but in most instances the SPS did not accept defeat and the local election commissions (often controlled by allies of Milošević) refused to certify the opposition's victories. In Belgrade, the election commission invalidated the results in thirty-three constituencies won by Zajedno and called a third round of voting for 27 November. The Zajedno parties boycotted the third round, charging abuse of process.[5] These events led to the 1996–1997 protests in Serbia, in which student and opposition groups held a series of non-violent street rallies against the Milošević regime.
Milošević and his allies held a counter-rally in Belgrade on 24 December 1996 that drew only sixty thousand attendees (many of whom had been brought in from rural areas) against three hundred thousand opposition protesters.[6] Three days later, a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ruled that the opposition had indeed won several of the disputed elections, including in Belgrade, Niš, Pančevo, and Zrenjanin.[7] The Serbian government began to soften its position, accepting the opposition's victory in Niš on 8 January 1997.[8] The Belgrade election commission announced on 17 January that Zajedno had won the elections. The government initially refused to accept this ruling, but on 13 February (following police attacks on the opposition demonstrators that were condemned internationally) the Serbian parliament approved a lex specialis that affirmed almost all of the victories claimed by Zajedno.[9] The protests wound down after this time, and the Zajedno coalition took power in Belgrade and several other cities.
Ultimately, the parties in Zajedno were not able to remain united at the republic level, and the coalition fell apart in Belgrade before the year was over. In some jurisdictions, including Novi Sad, the Zajedno parties were able to maintain their alliance until the next local election cycle in 2000.
Results
Unless otherwise noted, vote totals and percentages refer to the results in the first round of voting.
Belgrade
Elections were held at the city level and in all of Belgrade's constituent municipalities. The Zajedno alliance won a majority victory in the city, as well as winning control of most municipal assemblies. The Socialists won a smaller number of victories, mostly in the city's outer suburbs, while the Radicals won control of Zemun.
DS leader Zoran Đinđić was chosen as mayor on 21 February 1997, by a vote of sixty-eight to twenty-four among the city assembly's delegates. There were sixteen abstentions and one delegate was absent.[12]Zajedno gained another seat shortly after the election, when DSS delegate Aleksandra Joksimović joined the DS.[13]
The SPO left the Zajedno alliance later in the year. Đinđić was dismissed as mayor on 30 September 1997, via an SPO motion that was supported by the SPS and SRS. Sixty-seven of the sixty-eight delegates present voted for Đinđić 's dismissal; the other delegate abstained. The non-SPO members of Zajedno boycotted this sitting of the assembly on the grounds that it had been improperly constituted.[14]Milan Božić of the SPO became the city's acting mayor, and the SPO held all of the major positions in the city government with the informal support of the SPS and SRS. Božić was the acting mayor for almost a year and a half before Vojislav Mihailović, also of the SPO, was voted to the position by the assembly in January 1999.
Municipalities of Belgrade
Barajevo
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Barajevo:
Predrag Čokić of Zajedno was chosen as mayor after the election, by a vote of 28 to 27.[24][25][26] This was one of two municipalities where the lex specialis did not recognize a victory claimed by Zajedno, although the coalition managed to form government in any event.
New Belgrade
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of New Belgrade:
Incumbent mayor Čedomir Ždrnja of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election.[27] This was one of two municipalities where the lex specialis did not recognize a victory claimed by Zajedno.
Obrenovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Obrenovac:
Vučeta Mandić of Zajedno was chosen as mayor after the election.[41]
Vojvodina
South Bačka District
Elections were held in all twelve municipalities of the South Bačka District. The Zajedno alliance won a convincing victory in Novi Sad, while the Socialist Party and Yugoslav Left won a number of the neighbouring jurisdictions. Independent candidates won a majority of seats in Bački Petrovac, and the Radical Party won the greatest number of seats in Temerin.
Novi Sad
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Novi Sad:
Đorđe Đukić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.[51]
Central Serbia (excluding Belgrade)
Nišava District
Local elections were held in the one city (Niš) and the six other municipalities of the Nišava District. Following the opposition protests, it was recognized that the Zajedno alliance won a majority of seats in the election for the City Assembly of Niš. The Socialist Party won majority victories in all six of the smaller communities.
Zoran Živković of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.[53] Future mayor Goran Ćirić, also of the Democratic Party, was elected to the assembly and served as a member of its executive committee for the term that followed.[54][55]
Zoran Krasić ran as a Radical Party candidate and was the party's presumptive nominee for mayor; he was not elected to the assembly.[56][57]
Aleksinac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aleksinac:
Elections were held in all seven municipalities of the Šumadija District. The Zajedno coalition won in the city of Kragujevac and also in the municipality of Lapovo. The Socialist Party won majority victories in four of the other municipalities; in Batočina, the Yugoslav Left formed a minority administration with the support of the Socialists and some independent delegates.
Kragujevac
Results of the election for the City Assembly of Kragujevac:
The Milošević government did not contest the opposition's victory in Kragujevac.[64]Veroljub Stevanović of the Serbian Renewal Movement became mayor after the election.[65] The Zajedno government in the city remained together for the full term that followed.
Aranđelovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aranđelovac:
Dragan Zlatković of the Serbian Renewal Movement served as mayor after the election.[69] Future parliamentarian Mirko Čikiriz, also of the Serbian Renewal Movement, served as secretary of the municipal assembly and the municipal administration in 1997–98.[70]
Rača
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Rača:
Local elections were held in all six municipalities of the Kosovska Mitrovica District. The Socialist Party won majority victories in all jurisdictions except Zvečan, where no party won a majority and an incumbent from the opposition was confirmed in office for another term.
Kosovska Mitrovica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Kosovska Mitrovica:
Nikola Radović, presumably of the Socialist Party of Serbia, served as mayor after the election.[74]
After the Kosovo War, Kosovska Mitrovica became divided between the predominantly Serb north and the predominantly Albanian south. The Serbian government continued to recognize Radović as mayor of the city until 2002, his mandate having been formally extended.[75] In practice, Oliver Ivanović of the Serbian National Council (SNV), a parallel authority within the Serb community, was the de facto leader of northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the immediate post-war period.[76][77]
From 1999 to 2001, Ivanović was both the president of the SNV's executive council and the leader of its municipal board in Kosovska Mitrovica.[78] He was dismissed from the former position by hardline elements in June 2001 and afterward left the SNV entirely.[79] Nebojša Jović succeeded him as the SNV's municipal leader in Kosovska Mitrovica,[80] but Jović did not have the same standing in the community and did not inherit Ivanović's leadership role more generally.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Bajram Rexhepi as mayor of the city in mid-1999.[81][77] He was the de facto leader of its predominantly Albanian southern half, which was beyond the control of Serbian authorities.[82][83] Rexhepi was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).[84]
There was significant turnover among United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) personnel in Kosovska Mitrovica in the immediate post-war period.[85] Onelia Cardettini became the city's first UNMIK municipal administrator in 1999 but had stood down by early 2000.[86][87][88] Online sources do not indicate if the position was filled immediately after her departure, and in practice UNMIK's successive district coordinators seem to have taken the lead role in administering the city.
By 2002, John Rogers had been appointed as UNMIK's municipal administrator for Kosovska Mitrovica. In November of that year, the Serbian government made an agreement for the northern part of the city to be administered directly by UNMIK with assistance from an advisory council composed of local political representatives and chaired by Rogers.[89][90] Nikola Radović, still recognized as mayor of the city by Serbia, gave his support to the initiative.[91] The board held its first meeting on 30 May 2003, by which time Rogers had been replaced by Minna Järvenpää.[92] In August 2003, Serb representatives announced a boycott of the council over what they described as Järvenpää's arbitrary decisions.[93][94] Her term as administrator ended in early 2004.[95]
Online sources do not indicate who, if anyone, chaired the advisory council between 2004 and 2006, when Serb politician Srboljub Milenković of the Democratic Party was appointed to the role.[96]
Leposavić
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Leposavić:
Dragan Jablanović of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election and served until the beginning of 2001.[98] Leposavić remained under de facto Serbian authority after the Kosovo War.
A branch of the Serbian National Council was established in Leposavić after the Kosovo War as a parallel authority within the Serb community, and Nenad Radosavljević of New Democracy was chosen as its first leader. There is contradictory information as to the length of his tenure: one source indicates that he served from 1999 to 2001, while another claims he was removed from office by hardline elements in July 2000 after expressing a willingness to participate in new municipal elections organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).[99][100] In any event, Velimir Bojović of the Democratic Party of Serbia had become the leader of the local SNV by 2001.[101]
Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE, and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Leposavić) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors.[102] Despite objections from some in the community,[75] the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Nenad Radosavljević became mayor in Leposavić but stood down in 2001.[103][99] Online sources do not indicate if anyone was formally appointed as his successor; Nebojša Radulović served as deputy mayor and may also have been acting mayor.[104]
The Serb community of Leposavić generally participated in the 2002 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE.
Srbica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Srbica:
Sima Simić, presumably of the Socialist Party, was chosen as mayor after the election.[105] Slavica Jeradić was president of the assembly's executive board.[106]
Serbia lost control of Srbica after the Kosovo War, and most of the area's Serb population fled the area (although the villages of Suvo Grlo and Banje ultimately remained as Serb communities).[107][108]Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Ramadan Dobra as mayor in mid-1999. Dobra was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).[84]
Ken Inoue was appointed by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as municipal administrator in August 1999, and in the following month he formally appointed Dobra as president of the municipal board. Due to ongoing complaints about the PPDK's dominance in the local government, Inoue also appointed Fadil Geci of the rival Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) as second deputy president in February 2000.[109] Inoue served as municipal administrator until 2001.[110]
An August 2000 report in the Christian Science Monitor noted that former KLA soldiers affiliated with the PDK exercised "virtual complete control" over the area.[111]
Vučitrn
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vučitrn:
Slobodan Doknić, presumably of the Socialist Party, served as mayor after the election.[113]
Serbia lost control of Vučitrn after the Kosovo War, and many of the municipality's Serbs fled the area. Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Xhemajl Pllana as mayor of the municipality in mid-1999. Pllana was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).[84]
Denny Lane was appointed as municipal administrator by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in October 1999, and after arriving he formalized Pllana's role as interim mayor.[114] Lane served as municipal administrator until 2001.
Zubin Potok
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zubin Potok:
Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Zubin Potok) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors.[102] Despite objections from some in the community,[75] the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Slaviša Ristić was chosen as mayor in Zubin Potok.[117]
The Serb community of Zubin Potok generally participated in the 2002 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE.
Zvečan
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zvečan:
Incumbent mayor Desimir Petković, an opponent of Milošević's rule, was confirmed for another term in office after the election.[119][120] He was removed from office in June 2000 and replaced by Miomira Ignjatović.[75] Zvečan remained under de facto Serbian authority after the Kosovo War.
The Serbian National Council emerged as a parallel authority within the Serb community in 1999, and its leading members included prominent Zvečan residents such as Milan Ivanović.[121][122] Online accounts do not indicate who, if anyone, led its Zvečan municipal committee. Milan Ivanović ultimately transformed the Serbian National Council into a political party and became its leader in the municipality.[123]
Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Zvečan) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors.[102] Despite objections from some in the community,[75] the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Desimir Petković was once again chosen as mayor of Zvečan.[119]
Note: In the vast majority of Peć's electoral divisions, candidates of the Socialist Party of Serbia were elected without opposition. Only four Zajedno candidates and one Yugoslav Left candidate contested the election.
Only fourteen candidates contested the election. Thirteen were from the Socialist Party of Serbia–Yugoslav Left alliance, and one was from the Zajedno opposition. Milivoje Đurković of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election.[133]
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Emilio Castaneda as municipal administrator later in 1999.[150] Ramadan Krasniqi was appointed as chair of the municipal council at around the same time.[151] Online sources do not indicate if Veseli continued in government. Krasniqi also later joined the PDK.[152]
^Robert Thomas, Serbia Under Miloševic: Politics in the 1990s, (London: Hurst & Company), 1999, p. 277. Several months of negotiations between the parties had taken place prior to the formal announcement of the alliance.
^Thomas, Serbia Under Milošević, p. 315. Only two disputed jurisdictions were omitted from the lex specialis: the Belgrade municipalities of New Belgrade and Mladenovac. The SPS–JUL alliance remained in power in New Belgrade. In Mladenovac, two seats claimed by Zajedno were not given to the party. A Zajedno member later said this was an accidental oversight and that the two disputed seats should have been included in the law. Zajedno was able to form government in the municipality in any event. See "MILADIN MUTA MILIĆ (1957)", Mladenovčani, 2 July 2021, accessed 21 August 2021.
^ abcdefThis was not the historical League of Communists of Yugoslavia, which had dissolved in 1990, but another party using the same name.
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^Službeni List (Grada Beograda), 22 February 1997, p. 40.
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^"Novi Sad City Assembly Speaker Urges Students to Continue Demonstrations," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service: Central Europe & Balkans, 13 December 1996 (Source: Bosnian Serb agency SNRA in Serbo-Croat 1813 gmt 11 Dec 96).
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^ abc"Violence and Serb anger overshadow Kosovo poll result," Agence France-Presse, 6 November 2000.
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^"Serb girl reported saved from Albanian kidnap attempt," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European - Political, 2 May 2000 (Source: SRNA news agency, Bijeljina, in Serbo-Croat 1118 gmt 2 May 00).
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^ abPeaceWatch, United States Institute of Peace, Vol. VII No. 3 (April 2001), p. 5.
^"Peacekeepers accused of conducting 'brutal search' of Kosovo Serb village," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service: Central Europe & Balkans, 2 March 2000 (Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 0851 gmt 29 Feb 00).
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^ abcd"Kosovo Albanians set up civilian authorities in several western Kosovo towns," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European – Political, 18 June 1999 (Source: Albanian TV, Tirana, in Albanian 1635 gmt 18 Jun 99).
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^"Non-Albanians say few returnees would remain in an independent Kosovo - paper," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 18 April 2007 (Source: Danas, Belgrade, in Serbian 14 Apr 07).
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