Serbian Radical Party
Serbian Radical Party Српска радикална странка Srpska radikalna stranka | |
---|---|
Serbian irredentism | |
Political position | Far-right |
Colours | Blue |
Slogan | "Србија је вечна док су јој деца верна" ("Serbia is eternal while its children are loyal") |
Anthem | "Spremte se spremte" |
National Assembly | 0 / 250 |
Assembly of Vojvodina | 0 / 120 |
City Assembly of Belgrade | 0 / 110 |
Party flag | |
Website | |
srpskaradikalnastranka | |
The Serbian Radical Party (Serbian Cyrillic: Српска радикална странка, romanized: Srpska radikalna stranka, abbr. SRS) is a far-right,[1] ultranationalist[2] political party in Serbia. Founded in 1991, its co-founder, first and only leader is Vojislav Šešelj.[3]
The SRS was founded in 1991 as a merger of the Serbian Chetnik Movement, led by Šešelj, and the People's Radical Party, led by Tomislav Nikolić. Upon formation, they became the president and deputy president of SRS respectively. During the first half of the 1990s the SRS supported the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia regime, which had contributed greatly to the rise of SRS through the use of media.[3] The party had strong support until the 2000 election, when SRS suffered a major defeat, but through populist rhetoric it became the most voted party in the early-to-mid 2000s. Šešelj voluntarily surrendered to the ICTY to defend himself against charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity that he was alleged to have committed during the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. Nikolić assumed de facto party leadership until he left the party in 2008.[4]
During the years of Nikolić's leadership, SRS blended ultranationalism with brash, populist, and anti-corruption rhetoric.[5] Due to disagreements with Šešelj over European Union integration, Nikolić took many of the high-ranking members of the party to form the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which became the ruling party of Serbia in 2012. After the split, Dragan Todorović assumed de facto leadership, and the party went into a major decline, only pulling 4% of the vote in 2012 and 2% in 2014, the first time that SRS was not represented in the parliament. Shortly after Šešelj's return to Serbia in 2014, the party gained back some of its popularity and it placed third with 8% of the vote in the 2016 election.[6] In late 2019, the party went into decline again, and in the 2020 election it ended up only with 2% of the vote and gaining no seats in the parliament again.
A right-wing populist party,[7][8][9] SRS supports the creation of a Greater Serbia.[10][11] It is Eurosceptic, anti-Western orientated, opposed to the accession of Serbia to the European Union and supports establishing closer ties with Russia instead.[12][13][14] Some journalists described SRS as neofascist in the 1990s due to its vocal support of ultranationalism.[15][16][17][18] Regarding social issues, SRS is traditionalist.[19] It also holds local branches in some of the neighbouring states.
Ideology
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Far-right politics in Serbia |
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The party's core ideology is based on Serbian nationalism and the goal of creating a Greater Serbia.[10][11] The party is also strongly opposed to European integration (euroscepticism[13]) and globalisation,[20][21][22] advocating closer ties with Russia instead.[20][22] The SRS is extremely critical of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), where Šešelj was incarcerated from 2003 to 2014.[23] The party regards former general Ratko Mladić and former Republika Srpska president Radovan Karadžić as "Serbian heroes".[24][25]
In 2007, the party advocated the use of
Due to Tomislav Nikolić's support for the accession of Serbia to the European Union conflicting with the party's original hardline policy, Nikolić was expelled in 2008. With his supporters breaking apart from the SRS, he founded the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS)[4] which succeeded the SRS as one of the country's leading parties.
In the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, SRS was briefly associated with the Free Democrats Group in 2019.[26]
History
Foundation
The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) was formed on 23 February 1991 by the merger of Vojislav Šešelj's Serbian Chetnik Movement (SČP) and the National Radical Party (NRS).[27] The SČP had been formed in 1990, although it was denied official registration due to its overt identification with the historical Chetniks. Formation of the new party followed Šešelj's breakaway from the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) due to internal quarrels with Vuk Drašković; the SPO having been founded by the merger of Šešelj's former Serbian Freedom Movement and Drašković's faction from the Serbian National Renewal.[27] Šešelj was chosen as the first president of the SRS while Tomislav Nikolić, a member of the NRS, became deputy president.[27]
Rise under SPS
Led by Milošević, the Socialist Party (SPS) contributed greatly to the rise of the SRS through its use of the media.[3] With the SRS allowed to promulgate its ultranationalist views on state television, the SPS could present itself as a comparatively moderate, yet still patriotic party.[28] Šešelj promoted popular notions of an "international conspiracy against the Serbs," the foremost of which involved Germany, the Vatican, the CIA, Italy, Turkey, as well as the centrist Serbian political parties. Such conspiracy theories were also promoted by Milošević-controlled media.[29] In 1991, Šešelj became a Member of Parliament as an independent candidate,[30] and created a belligerent image by engaging in physical fights with opponents of the government.[29]
The 22.6% of the vote won by the SRS in the
Milošević breaks with SRS
By late 1993 the parties had turned against each other.
In 1995, Šešelj and the SRS joined in a technical coalition with the centrist
Kosovo war and Milošević's overthrow
When Šešelj beat the SPS candidate for the
Indictment of Šešelj
During the Yugoslav Wars some SRS supporters including Šešelj were active in paramilitary units loyal to the federal government, serving as his "iron fist" during military campaigns.[20][42] Milošević's regime at times supported Šešelj and provided him with arms, whilst at others it accused him of war crimes.[43] The SRS was also provided with resources to establish paramilitary volunteer forces such as the White Eagles.[28] As the SRS protested against Milošević's extradition to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2001, Milošević urged his supporters to vote for the SRS rather than his own SPS.[20] The ICTY also indicted Šešelj, who has been on trial since 2007 following his surrender in 2003.[44] Deputy President Nikolić became the new de facto SRS leader and presented a more moderate face, with a new approach to international cooperation and a vision of Serbia acting as a "link between the West and the East."[45]
Nikolić leadership
During the 2003 parliamentary election, the SRS condemned cooperation with the war crimes tribunal, corruption scandals in government, poor living standards, and slightly moderated its formerly aggressive rhetoric.[41] While it won a clear plurality with 28% of the vote and 82 seats, the party was still viewed as a pariah by its democratic rivals and was thus left in opposition.[41] In the 2007 parliamentary election it won 29% of the vote and 81 seats. The SRS caucus in parliament elected Nikolić as its president and Aleksandar Vučić vice-president. Nikolić was later chosen as parliamentary speaker, supported by the DSS amidst a deadlock in coalition talks.[46] He stepped down just five days later, as the DS and DSS agreed to form a coalition government.[47]
At the National Assembly's first session on 14 February 2007, politicians voted overwhelmingly to reject the proposal by UN Special Envoy
2008 split
After disagreements with Šešelj, on 8 September 2008, Nikolić formed the new parliamentary group Napred Srbijo! ("Forward Serbia!") along with a number of other SRS members.[21] Šešelj responded with a letter on 11 September addressed to SRS members, in which he condemned the Nikolić group as "traitors" and "Western puppets", while calling on SRS members to remain loyal to the ideologies of "Serbian nationalism, anti-globalism, and Russophilia."[21] Nikolić and his group were officially expelled from the SRS the next day,[21][54] in response to which Nikolić announced that he would form his own party.[55] On 14 September, SRS general secretary Aleksandar Vučić also resigned from the SRS.[21][56] Nikolić and Vučić then launched the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on 21 October of the same year.[57][58]
Following their departure, Dragan Todorović took over as the party's acting leader from Nikolić;[59][60] however the office of deputy chairman was officially abolished.[61] By April 2011 the SRS had about 7% of support in opinion polls, while the SNS and its coalition partners held about 40%.[62][63] In the 2012 parliamentary election the Radical Party received only 4.63% of the popular vote, thus failing to cross the 5% threshold to enter parliament for the first time in the party's history.[64]
Šešelj's return
This article needs to be updated.(January 2017) |
With their leader back in Serbia in 2014, the party campaigned for the parliamentary election of 2016 aiming to restore its presence prior to 2008.
The party formed an alliance with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party for the 2023 Belgrade City Assembly election.[65]
International relations
The Serbian Radical Party maintains ties with the
The party counted Iraq's
On 9 March 2016 Šešelj and Zmago Jelinčič, president of the Slovenian National Party, signed an agreement with the intention of bringing their parties closer in terms of partnership and political alliance.[71]
List of presidents
# | President | Birth–Death | Term start | Term end | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vojislav Šešelj[nb 1] | 1954– | 23 February 1991 | Incumbent |
Acting leaders during the incarceration of Šešelj
Šešelj was incarcerated at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from 2003 to 2014. Ref:[72]
# | Name | Birth–Death | Term start | Term end | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tomislav Nikolić[nb 2] | 1952– | 24 February 2003 | 5 September 2008 | ||
2 | Dragan Todorović[nb 3] | 1953– | 5 September 2008 | 26 May 2012 | ||
3 | Nemanja Šarović[nb 2] | 1974– | 26 May 2012 | 12 November 2014 |
Electoral results
Parliamentary elections
Year | Leader | Popular vote | % of popular vote | # | # of seats | Seat change | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Vojislav Šešelj | 1,066,765 | 24.04% | 2nd | 73 / 250
|
New | Support |
1993 | 595,467 | 14.43% | 3rd | 39 / 250
|
34 | Opposition | |
1997 | 1,162,216 | 29.26% | 2nd | 82 / 250
|
43 | Government | |
2000 | 322,333 | 8.81% | 3rd | 23 / 250
|
59 | Opposition | |
2003 | 1,069,212 | 27.98% | 1st | 82 / 250
|
59 | Opposition | |
2007 | 1,153,453 | 29.07% | 1st | 81 / 250
|
1 | Opposition | |
2008 | 1,219,436 | 30.10% | 2nd | 78 / 250
|
3 | Opposition | |
2012 | 180,558 | 4.83% | 7th | 0 / 250
|
78 | Extra-parliamentary | |
2014 | 72,303 | 2.08% | 11th | 0 / 250
|
0 | Extra-parliamentary | |
2016 | 306,052 | 8.34% | 3rd | 22 / 250
|
22 | Opposition | |
2020 | 65,954 | 2.13% | 8th | 0 / 250
|
22 | Extra-parliamentary | |
2022 | 82,066 | 2.22% | 9th | 0 / 250
|
0 | Extra-parliamentary | |
2023 | 55,782 | 1.50% | 8th | 0 / 250
|
0 | Extra-parliamentary |
Years in government (1991– )
Presidential elections
Election year | Candidate | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Results | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# Votes | % Votes | # Votes | % Votes | |||
1990[a] | Vojislav Šešelj | 96,277 | 1.98% | — | Lost | |
1992[b] | Slobodan Milošević | 2,515,047 | 57.46% | — | Won | |
Sep 1997[c] | Vojislav Šešelj | 1,126,940 | 28.36% | 1,733,859 | 50.62% | Won |
Dec 1997 | 1,227,076 | 32.87% | 1,383,868 | 38.81% | Lost | |
Sep 2002[c]
|
845,308 | 23.74% | — | Lost | ||
Dec 2002[c] | 1,063,296 | 37.10% | — | Lost | ||
2003[c] | Tomislav Nikolić | 1,166,896 | 47.87% | — | Won | |
2004 | 954,339 | 30.97% | 1,434,068 | 46.03% | Lost | |
2008 | 1,646,172 | 40.76% | 2,197,155 | 48.81% | Lost | |
2012 | Jadranka Šešelj
|
147,793 | 3.96% | — | Lost | |
2017 | Vojislav Šešelj | 163,802 | 4.56% | — | Lost | |
2022[d]
|
Aleksandar Vučić | 2,224,914 | 60.01% | — | Won |
Positions held
Major positions held by Serbian Radical Party members:
President of the National Assembly of Serbia | Years |
---|---|
Tomislav Nikolić | 2007
|
Mayor of Novi Sad | Years |
Milorad Mirčić | 1993–1994 |
Maja Gojković | 2004–2007 |
See also
- Serbian nationalism
- Greater Serbia
- Party of Serb Radicals
- Serbian Radical Party "9th January"
- Serbian Radical Party of the Republika Srpska
References
- Notes
- Footnotes
- ISBN 9781139491488.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (linkBibliography
- Bakić, Jovo (2009). "Extreme-right ideology, practice and supporters: case study of the Serbian Radical Party". Journal of Contemporary European Studies. 17 (2): 193–207. S2CID 153453439.
- Bugajski, Janusz (2002). "Serbian Radical Party (SRP)". Political parties of Eastern Europe: a guide to politics in the post-Communist era. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 415–417. ISBN 978-1-56324-676-0.
- Konitzer, Andrew (2008). "The Serbian radical party in the 2004 local elections". East European Politics & Societies. 22 (4): 738–756. S2CID 145777191.
- Lazić, Mladen; Vuletić, Vladimir (2009). "The nation state and the EU in the perceptions of political and economic elites: The case of Serbia in comparative perspective". Europe-Asia Studies. 61 (6): 987–1001. S2CID 154590974.
- Nagradić, Slobodan (1995). Neka istorija sudi: razgovori sa liderima Srpske radikalne stranke. VIKOM. ISBN 9788679970053.
- Pribićević, Ognjen (1999). "Changing Fortunes of the Serbian Radical Right". In Ramet, Sabrina P. (ed.). The radical right in Central and Eastern Europe since 1989. Penn State. pp. 193–212. ISBN 978-0-271-01811-9.
- Samardzija, Anita; Robertson, Shanthi (2012). "Contradictory populism online: Nationalist and globalist discourses of the Serbian Radical Party's websites". Communication, Politics & Culture. 45 (1): 96.
- Stojarová, Vera (2016). The far right in the Balkans. Manchester University Press. pp. 5, 22, 35, 40, 48–50, 55–57, 64–65, 73, 82–83, 103–104, 106–112, 119, 152–155. ISBN 978-1-5261-1203-3.
- Thomas, Robert (1999). Serbia Under Milošević: Politics in the 1990s. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. ISBN 978-1-85065-341-7.
External links
- Serbian Radical Party Official website (in Serbian)