Liberals of Serbia

Liberals of Serbia
Либерали Србије
Liberali Srbije
FounderDušan Mihajlović
Founded10 July 1990
Dissolved13 April 2010
Preceded byLeague of Socialist Youth of Serbia
HeadquartersRajićeva 22,
Belgrade
Youth wingMladi Liberali Srbije
Ideology
Political positionCentre to centre-left
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
International affiliationLiberal International
ColoursOrange, Blue
Website
liberali-srbije.org.yu

The Liberals of Serbia (Serbian: Либерали Србије, romanized: Liberali Srbije; abbr. ЛС, LS) was a political party in Serbia.

History

The party was founded in 1990 when the Social Democratic Youth League reconstituted itself as Movement for Serbia – New Democracy. The party was renamed to just New Democracy in March 1993.[1]

In the 1993 election, when the Socialist Party of Serbia lost its majority in parliament, New Democracy, which had previously belonged to the DEPOS, supported the socialists in gaining a parliamentary majority necessary to form a government, citing Milošević's commitment to securing a peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] In 1998, New Democracy left the government and was replaced by the Serbian Radical Party.

In 2000, New Democracy was a part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, the candidate of which, Vojislav Koštunica, won the 2000 presidential elections. At the parliamentary election in the same year, the party was part of the same coalition and participated in the government which was formed by DOS. In 2003 the party was renamed Liberals of Serbia.

At the parliamentary election on 28 December 2003 Liberals of Serbia put up as candidates the former Serbian Interior Minister Dušan Mihajlović and the former Chief of Serbian Police, General Sreten Lukić, the latter indicted for war crimes in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The party won 0.7% of the popular vote and no seats.

In October 2005 Mihajlović stepped down and Radivoje Lazarević, former Yugoslav ambassador to Brazil, took over as party president.[3]

In 2010, acting president of the party, Miroslav Stefanović, was fined 150.000 RSD for falsely accusing Vladimir Beba Popović of being responsible for the assassination of Zoran Đinđić in 2007.[4]

The party ceased to exist in 2010.[5]

Electoral performance

Parliamentary elections

Year Popular vote % of popular vote # of seats Seat change Coalitions Government
1992 797,831 16.89%
1 / 250
 Increase 1 DEPOS opposition
1993 715,564 16.64%
6 / 250
 Increase 5 DEPOS government
1997 1,418,036 34.26%
5 / 250
 Decrease 1 Left Coalition opposition
2000 2,402,387 64.09%
9 / 250
 Increase 4 DOS government
2003 22,852 0.59%
0 / 250
 Decrease 9 non-parliamentary
2007 134,147 3.33%
0 / 250
 Steady With SPO–NSS non-parliamentary

Federal elections

Year Popular vote % of popular vote # of seats Seat change Coalitions Government
1996 1,848,669 42.90%
3 / 250
 Increase 3 Left Coalition government (1997–1998)
opposition (1998–2000)
2000 2,040,646 (Chamber of Citizens)
2,092,799 (Chamber of Republics) 		42.88% (Chamber of Citizens)
43.98% (Chamber of Republics)
4 / 250
 Increase 1 DOS government

See also

References

  1. ^ Goati, Vladimir (2001). Izbori u SRJ od 1990. do 1998. : volja građana ili izborna manipulacija? (PDF) (in Serbian) (2 ed.). Belgrade: CeSID. p. 89. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. ^ Ignja, Petar (23 October 1997). "SA RADIKALIMA – NIKAKO". nin.co.rs. NIN. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  3. ^ Đ., G. (4 October 2005). "Promena spremana 15 godina" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Liberalu potvrđena kazna zbog klevetanja Vladimira Popovića". blic.rs. Blic. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. ^ Didanović, Vera (4 February 2010). "Šta je ostalo od DOS-a". vreme.rs. Vreme. Retrieved 20 March 2018.