Milija Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Милија Јовановић; born 8 November 1953) is a politician in Serbia. He was the mayor of Svilajnac from 2000 to 2004 and served in the National Assembly of Serbia from 2001 to 2004. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS), he joined the breakaway Liberal Democratic Party (Liberalno demokratska partija, LDP) on its formation in 2005.

Private career

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Jovanović is a graduated economist.[1]

Politician

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Democratic Party

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Jovanović appeared in the sixteenth position (out of twenty-two) on the DS's electoral list for the Smederevo division in the 1992 Serbian parliamentary election. The list did not cross the electoral threshold to win any seats in the division.[2][3] He was promoted to the second position in the 1993 Serbian parliamentary election; he list won three seats, but despite being in an advantageous position he was not chosen for a mandate.[4][5] (From 1992 to 2000, Serbia's electoral law stipulated that one-third of parliamentary mandates would be assigned to candidates on successful lists in numerical order, while the remaining two-thirds would be distributed amongst other candidates at the discretion of sponsoring parties or coalitions. Jovanović was not automatically elected and was not given an optional mandate.)[6]

In 2000, the DS participated in the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (Demokratska opozicija Srbije, DOS), a broad and ideologically diverse coalition of parties opposed to Slobodan Milošević's administration. DOS candidate Vojislav Koštunica defeated Milošević in the 2000 Yugoslavian presidential election, a watershed moment in Serbian and Yugoslavian politics. The DOS also won a narrow victory in Svilajnac in the concurrent 2000 Serbian local elections, and Jovanović was afterward chosen as mayor.[7] He held a much lower profile in this role than his larger-than-life predecessor, Dobrivoje Budimirović.

The fall of Milošević led to a new Serbian parliamentary election in December 2000. Serbia's electoral laws were reformed prior to the vote, such that the entire country was counted as a single electoral division and all mandates were awarded to candidates on successful lists at the discretion of the sponsoring parties or coalitions, irrespective of numerical order.[8] Jovanović was given the 186th position on the DOS list and was chosen for a mandate when the list won a landslide majority with 176 out of 250 seats.[9][10] In parliament, he served on the committee for finance and the committee for petitions and proposals.[11]

DS leader Zoran Đinđić was assassinated in 2003. Afterward, Jovanović oversaw the renaming of one of Svilajnac's main streets after Đinđić.

The DOS had dissolved by the time of the 2003 Serbian parliamentary election. Jovanović received the 163rd position on the DS's list; the list won thirty-seven seats, and he was not chosen for a new mandate.[12][13]

Serbia briefly introduced the direct election of mayors for the 2004 Serbian local elections. Jovanović sought re-election in Svilajnac and was resoundingly defeated by Budimirović.[14] After reclaiming office, Budimirović reversed the decision to rename a street after Đinđić.[15]

Liberal Democratic Party

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The DS experienced a significant split in 2005, and Jovanović joined the breakaway Liberal Democratic Party. Jovanović appeared on the LDP's electoral lists in the 2007 and 2008 parliamentary elections but was not given a mandate on either occasion.[16][17] The LDP did not cross the electoral threshold in Svilajnac in the 2008 local elections.[18]

Serbia's electoral laws were reformed again in 2011, such that all mandates were awarded to candidates on successful lists in numerical order. The LDP contested the 2012 parliamentary election in the U-Turn (Serbian: Preokret) coalition. Jovanović was given the 115th position on the coalition's list and was not elected when the list won only nineteen seats.[19] He also led the coalition's list in Svilajnac in the concurrent 2012 local elections; the list did not cross the threshold.[20][21] He has not sought a return to political life since this time.

Electoral record

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Municipal (Svilajnac)

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2004 Svilajnac municipal election: Mayor of Svilajnac
CandidatePartyVotes%
Dobrivoje BudimirovićCitizens' Group: For a Rich Municipality of Svilajnac7,12755.85
Milija Jovanović (incumbent)Democratic Party1,62412.73
Gorica GajićDemocratic Party of Serbia1,57912.37
Mića NešićG17 Plus8526.68
Branislav MarinkovićSerbian Renewal Movement–Citizen's Group: PP7946.22
Radovan RadosavljevićStrength of Serbia Movement4403.45
Staniša StrainovićSocialist Party of Serbia2321.82
Ljubiša RadosavljevićPeople's Democratic Party–Democratic Movement of Romanians of Serbia1140.89
Total12,762100.00
Source: [22]

References

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  1. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (4 Демократска опозиција Србије – др Војислав Коштуница (Демократска странка, Демократска странка Србије, Социјалдемократија, Грађански савез Србије, Демохришћанска странка Србије, Нова Србија, Покрет за демократску Србију, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Реформска демократска странка Војводине, Коалиција Војводина, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Демократска алтернатива, Демократски центар, Нова демократија, Социјалдемократска унија, Санxачка демократска партија, Лига за Шумадију, Српски покрет отпора – Демократски покрет), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 July 2021.
  2. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 20. и 27. децембра 1992. године и 3. јануара 1993. године – ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (8 Смедерево) and Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за народне посланике у Народну скупштину Републике Србије, одржаних 20. и 27. децембра 1992. године и 3. јануара 1993. године, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 30 July 2021.
  3. ^ Službeni Glasnik (Republike Srbije), 25 January 1993 (Volume 49 Number 7), p. 194.
  4. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 19. и 26. децембра 1993. године и 5. јануара 1994. године – ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (8 Смедерево) and Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за народне посланике у Народну скупштину Републике Србије, одржаних 19. и 26. децембра 1993. године и 5. јануара 1994. године, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 30 July 2021.
  5. ^ Službeni Glasnik (Republike Srbije), Volume 50 Number 11 (25 January 1994), p. 193.
  6. ^ Guide to the Early Election, Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, December 1992, made available by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, accessed 14 July 2017.
  7. ^ Beograd, 22. October 2001. RECEPTION AT THE ROYAL PALACE FOR MAYORS OF MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT SERBIA, The Royal Family of Serbia, royalfamily.org, accessed 30 August 2022.
  8. ^ Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017.
  9. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (4 Демократска опозиција Србије – др Војислав Коштуница (Демократска странка, Демократска странка Србије, Социјалдемократија, Грађански савез Србије, Демохришћанска странка Србије, Нова Србија, Покрет за демократску Србију, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Реформска демократска странка Војводине, Коалиција Војводина, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Демократска алтернатива, Демократски центар, Нова демократија, Социјалдемократска унија, Санxачка демократска партија, Лига за Шумадију, Српски покрет отпора – Демократски покрет), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 July 2021.
  10. ^ PRVA KONSTITUTIVNA SEDNICA, 22.01.2001., Otvoreni Parlament, 11 January 2001, accessed 18 July 2021.
  11. ^ ДЕТАЉИ О НАРОДНОМ ПОСЛАНИКУ: ЈОВАНОВИЋ, МИЛИЈА, Archived 2003-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 30 August 2022.
  12. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 28. децембра 2003. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (5. ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА – БОРИС ТАДИЋ), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 July 2021.
  13. ^ PRVA SEDNICA, 27.01.2004., Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 30 August 2022.
  14. ^ Izbori, 2000. Za Odbornike Skupština Opština i Gradova, Bureau of Statistics – Republic of Serbia, p. 59.
  15. ^ "Bidža uzeo ulicu Đinđiću", B92, 10 November 2004, accessed 30 August 2022.
  16. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (3 Либерално демократска партија - Грађански савез Србије - Социјалдемократска унија - Лига социјалдемократа Војводине - Чедомир Јовановић), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021. Jovanović was given the eighty-ninth position in 2007.
  17. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (2 ЛИБЕРАЛНО ДЕМОКРАТСКА ПАРТИЈА - ЧЕДОМИР ЈОВАНОВИЋ), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021. Jovanović was given the one hundredth position in 2008.
  18. ^ 2008 election results, svilajnac001.co.rs, accessed 30 August 2022.
  19. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (4 ЧЕДОМИР ЈОВАНОВИЋ - ПРЕОКРЕТ Либерално демократска партија, Српски покрет обнове, Социјалдемократска унија, Богата Србија, Војвођанска партија, Демократска партија Санџака, Зелена еколошка партија - зелени, Партија Бугара Србије), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021.
  20. ^ Službeni Glasnik (Opstine Svilajnac), 23 April 2012, p. 10.
  21. ^ Službeni Glasnik (Opstine Svilajnac), 7 May 2012, p. 1.
  22. ^ Lokalni izbori 2004 - Za gradonačelnika Svilajnca, www.svilajnac001.co.rs, accessed 28 April 2017.