Rasim Ljajić (Serbian Cyrillic: Расим Љајић, pronounced [rǎːsim ʎǎːjitɕ]; born 28 January 1964) is a Serbian politician and sports administrator who currently serves as president of FK Partizan.

Rasim Ljajić
Расим Љајић
Ljajić in 2011
Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
In office
27 July 2012 – 28 October 2020
Prime MinisterIvica Dačić
Aleksandar Vučić
Ivica Dačić (Acting)
Ana Brnabić
Preceded byVerica Kalanović
Succeeded byBranko Ružić
Maja Gojković
Branislav Nedimović
Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications
In office
27 July 2012 – 28 October 2020
Prime MinisterIvica Dačić
Aleksandar Vučić
Ivica Dačić (Acting)
Ana Brnabić
Preceded byDušan Petrović (Trade)
Milutin Mrkonjić (Telecommunications)
Succeeded byTatjana Matić
Minister of Labour and Social Policy
In office
15 May 2007 – 27 July 2012
Prime MinisterMirko Cvetković
Vojislav Koštunica
Preceded bySlobodan Lalović
Succeeded byJovan Krkobabić
Minister of Human and Minority Rights of Serbia and Montenegro
In office
17 March 2003 – 3 June 2006
PresidentSvetozar Marović
Minister of Human and Minority Rights of FR Yugoslavia
In office
4 November 2000 – 7 March 2003
PresidentVojislav Koštunica
Prime MinisterDragiša Pešić
Zoran Žižić
Personal details
Born (1964-01-28) 28 January 1964 (age 60)
Novi Pazar, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Political partySocial Democratic Party of Serbia
(2008–)
Other political
affiliations
Sandžak Democratic Party
(1993–)
Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak
(1990–1993)
Residence(s)Belgrade, Serbia
Alma materUniversity of Sarajevo
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionPhysician

A prominent Bosniak politician from Novi Pazar and president of Social Democratic Party of Serbia, he served in multiple ministerial positions of the Government of Serbia from 2000 to 2020. Following the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević, he first served as Minister of Human and Minority Rights of FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro from 2000 to 2006. Ljajić was also the president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. From 2007 to 2012, he served as Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy.

From 2012 to 2020, he served as both the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications.

Education

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Ljajić was born in Novi Pazar to a Bosniak Muslim family. After finishing high school, he graduated from the University of Sarajevo School of Medicine.[citation needed]

Political career

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In 1990, Ljajić was elected Secretary General of the Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak as one of its founders, a branch of the SDA in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at gathering Bosniaks in Serbia.[1] In 1993 he left the party and with dissidents formed the Sandžak Democratic Party, criticizing Sulejman Ugljanin for being an extremist and endorsing separatism from Yugoslavia in an effort to join an enlarged Bosnia dominated by Bosnian Muslims.

One of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia leaders, he became Minister of Human and Minority Rights in 2000 after the fall of Slobodan Milošević, and his mandate as a minister was extended in the rump DS-led 2001 government.[2]

Ljajić is the long-term Head of the Coordination Team with the Hague Tribunal. In the 2003 parliamentary election he unsuccessfully led a "Together for Tolerance" coalition, along with Nenad Čanak of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina and Jožef Kasa of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians. The coalition received 4.2% of the vote and did not pass the 5% threshold.[3]

Sports administration

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In 2024, Ljajić was elected president of FK Partizan temporary governing body.[4]

Personal life

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Ljajić is an ethnic Bosniak.[5] His relative and close friend Dževad Ljajić died in the military helicopter crash in Serbia on the night of 14 March 2015, which also claimed six other lives.[6]

On 10 April 2022, Ljajić was seriously injured in a car accident on the Belgrade-Niš Highway near Ražanj. His associate and former MP Branko Gogić was killed in the accident.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Bugajski, Janusz (2020). Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-communist Era: A Guide to Politics in the Post-communist Era. Routledge. p. 471. ISBN 978-1-00016-135-9.
  2. ^ Rasim Ljajić at the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
  3. ^ Muller, Tom (2012). Political Handbook of the World 2012. SAGE. p. 1258. ISBN 978-1-60871-995-2.
  4. ^ "KRAJ! Rasim Ljajić vodi Partizan sa Mijatovićem i Lazovićem, Vazura i Vučelić su bivši". Mozzart Sport (in Serbian). Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  5. ^ "Muslim Academy "part of election campaign" - English - on B92.net".
  6. ^ "MINISTAR LJAJIĆ: Poginuo mi je rođak, brinuću o njegovoj porodici dok sam živ!". www.telegraf.rs.
  7. ^ "Rasim Ljajić doživeo tešku saobraćajnu nesreću, poginuo njegov saradnik". N1 (in Serbian). 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
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Government offices
Preceded by Minister of Labour and Social Policy
2007–2012
Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
2012–2020
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Dušan Petrović (Trade)
Milutin Mrkonjić (Telecommunications)
Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications
2012–2020
Succeeded by