Democratic Party (Serbia)

The Demokratska Stranka (DS ) to German Democratic Party (Cyrillic Демократска странка ), is a social democratic party in Serbia. Its chairman is Boris Tadić, President of Serbia from July 2004 to May 2012.

Foundation, prohibition and relaunch

The Demokratska Stranka formed in 1919 as a liberal party in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. This was preceded by a merger of the Independent Radical Party with corresponding Croatian and Slovenian parties. The first chairman was Ljubomir Davidović, who was in 1919-20 and again in 1924 Prime Minister of the Kingdom. Up to the abrogation of the Constitution in 1929, the Democratic Party has played a key role, then it was in opposition. After the death Davidovics Milan Grol took the lead. During the German occupation, the members went into exile or fought as partisans. After the liberation in 1945, the Communists took power, the DS was banned and imprisoned many of its members.

1990 Demokratska Stranka was re-established, it is therefore one of the new-old parties. As Chairman Dragoljub Mićunović was chosen. Among the founders was Zoran Djindjic as well as both Minister Vojislav Kostunica, the conservative Democratic Party of Serbia founded (DSS ) 1992. In the elections in the same year, the party won 7.4% of the vote and seven of the 250 seats and became the third largest opposition and only democratic force in the Serbian National Assembly. In 1994, Djindjic the party chairmanship.

Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)

In January 2000, the coalition Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) was formed, consisting of 18 parties, of which the Serbian Renewal Movement and the DS were the strongest. In extraordinary presidential elections on September 24, 2000 Minister Vojislav Kostunica won what the existing government but not recognized. It mass protests were organized, meant that on October 5, DOS came to the forefront of the country, which had also recognize the Constitutional Court.

The government Djindjic

After an election victory on 23 December 2000 with 64.1 % of the vote and 176 of the 250 seats - 45 of which went to the DS - Zoran Djindjic became prime minister. The DSS of Yugoslav President Kostunica left the DOS and the Government of the Republic of Serbia in 2001, which led to a government crisis. Premier Djindjic, however, managed to maintain the coalition and the political majority.

On 12 March 2003 Zoran Djindjic was assassinated. Zoran Zivkovic succeeded him as head of government. The Alliance DOS disintegrated finally in the fall of 2003 from the then parliamentary elections held at the DS showed significantly weakened. (12.6%, 37 seats). At the new minority government of Kostunica she was no longer involved.

Boris Tadić

In December 2003 Boris Tadić, at the time defense minister and vice president, leader of the DS in Parliament. In February 2004, it chose the DS to the new party chairman. The presidential elections in the same year Tadić won with 27.3 % in the first and 53.2 % in the second round against Tomislav Nikolić of the Serbian Radical Party.

2007 parliamentary elections

In the parliamentary elections of 2007, the DS was able to pick up sharply, she won 22.7 % of the vote and 64 seats. This made her the second strongest force behind the Radical Party. With the DSS and G17 Plus they formed a government coalition. This broke in the spring of 2008, after the declaration of independence of Kosovo, the dispute about relations of Serbia to the European Union

Parliamentary elections in 2008

In the parliamentary elections of 2008, the list for a European Serbia won (DS in coalition with G17 Plus, SPO, LSV and the SDP) surprisingly strong against the Radical Party. Previously it was at least assumed, given the independence of Kosovo from a head-to -head race. After the election, agreed that Western-oriented parties, the strongest force is the DS, with the Socialist Party to form a coalition government.

Others

The Demokratska Stranka is a member of the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists. The DS is in favor of parliamentary democracy and the welfare state. She is a pro-Western and pro-European party, but the independence of Kosovo, it rejects.