2008 Serbian local elections

Local elections were held in Serbia on 11 May 2008. According to the Constitutional Law adopted by the National Assembly on 30 September 2006 that proclaimed the new constitution, the parliamentary Speaker (at that time Oliver Dulić from DS) had to schedule the elections for local administrative units by 31 December 2007.[1] He scheduled them on 2007-12-29.[2] Following the official breakdown of the government on 8 March 2008, early parliamentary elections were held on the same date. A revote was held in three polling stations in Belgrade on 18 May 2008 due to irregularities in the electoral process.[3]

Negotiations between the ruling parties, the President's DS and the Premier's DSS, were trying to enact a compromise on the date of the election. Tadić's Democratic Party wanted to respect the constitutional law, wanting to schedule the election by the end of year and hold it in March 2008, which is DSS's demand because of the solution of the status of Kosovo. G17 Plus wanted the Mayors and municipal Presidents to be elected directly as in the past, but the Democratic Party wanted them to be elected by the local parliaments.

Four laws necessary for the local elections (on territorial organisation, the capital, local elections and local self-government) were passed before the elections.

Ever since the death of Belgrade Mayor Nenad Bogdanović the Serbian Radical Party has demanded parliamentary Speaker Oliver Dulic to schedule a Mayoral election, however Dulić said that the Constitutional Law mandated him to schedule general local elections simultaneously.

The new Law of Belgrade foresaw a Mayor elected from the City Parliament.

In areas geographically comprising Sandžak, the Sandžak Democratic Party and Democratic Party ran in local elections together. The European Coalition of DS, G17+ and SPO ran in all Municipalities and Cities, except in Niš, where G17+ had been part of ruling coalition for the last years and where DS was running against them.[4] The "Serb List" political of SRS, DSS, NS, SPS and several nationalist civic groups and organizations had been formed and ran in most of Vojvodina locally.

My Serbia of Branislav Lečić ran individually in local elections. Mayor of Novi Sad and former Radical Maja Gojković ran in the City with her civic group "For Our Novi Sad".

According to UNMIK practice, Serbian national referendums and elections for Parliament and President were allowed in Kosovo, but local elections are organized separately by UNMIK and the PISG. Despite all of this Serbia accomplished the local elections in Kosovo 2008 that were not recognized by UNMIK.

Regions and cities

Belgrade

1. For a European Belgrade – Boris Tadić (За европски Београд – Борис Тадић)
2. DSS – New Serbia – Vojislav Koštunica (ДСС – Нова Србија – Војислав Коштуница)
3. Liberal Democratic Party – Čedomir Jovanović (Либерално демократска партија – Чедомир Јовановић)
4. Serbian Radical Party – Tomislav Nikolić (Српска радикална странка – Томислав Николић)
5. Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) – Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) – United Serbia (JS) (Социјалистичка партија Србије (СПС) – Партија уједињених пензионера Србије (ПУПС) – Јединствена Србија (ЈС))
6. Strength of Serbia Movement – Bogoljub Karić (Покрет снага Србије – Богољуб Карић)

 Summary of the 11 May/18 May 2008 Belgrade local election results

Party	Votes	%	Seats
For a European Belgrade – Boris Tadić (За европски Београд - Борис Тадић)	354,462	38.87	45
Serbian Radical Party – Tomislav Nikolić (Српска радикална странка - Томислав Николић)	316,357	34.69	40
Democratic Party of Serbia – New Serbia – Vojislav Koštunica (Демократска странка Србије - Нова Србија - Војислав Коштуница)	100,459	11.02	12
Liberal Democratic Party – Čedomir Jovanović (Либерално демократска партија - Чедомир Јовановић)	62,419	6.84	7
SPS – PUPS – JS (СПС-ПУПС-ЈС)	47,266	5.18	6
Green Party (Зелена странка)	3,738	0.41	-
Strength of Serbia Movement - Bogoljub Karić (Покрет снага Србије - Богољуб Карић)	2,698	0.3	-
Roma Party of Unison (Ромска партија уједињења)	1,452	0.16	-
Romani Parties - Srđan Šajn, Roma Party of Unification and Romani Renewal Movement (Ромске партије - Срђан Шајн, Ромска партија уједињења и Ромски покрет обнове)	1,404	0.15	-
People's Radical Party - People's Movement for Belgrade (Народна радикална странка - Народни покрет за Београд)	1,230	0.13	-
Total Valid (turnout 58.74% or 891,485 out of 1,517,783)	891,485	100.00	110
Source: Civic Electoral Commission of the City of Belgrade

Novi Sad

Results of 2008 local elections in Vojvodina

For a European Serbia won 30 out of 78 seats in city parliament. They are likely to form a coalition with Together for Vojvodina, which won 9 seats. Hungarian Coalition, with 1 seat is to complete a new ruling coalition in Novi Sad, to end a 4 year rule by Serbian Radical Party, which won 26 seats, and Democratic Party of Serbia/New Serbia, now down to 5 seats. Civic group of former mayor Maja Gojković won 7 seats, to complete distribution of seats in City parliament of Novi Sad.

References

1. Novosti | Vecernje novosti | Politika
2. B92 - News - Politics - Dulić calls local, provincial ballots for May Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
3. B92 - News - Politics - Revote ongoing in six polling stations Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
4. B92 - News - Politics - DS, G17 Plus on separate lists in Niš Archived 2008-03-25 at the Wayback Machine