СРБИЈА « SRBIJA »
— Officially: Република Србија « Republika Srbija ».
— English: Serbia.
— Seat of government: Београд « Beograd ».
— Status: Democratic.
— Structure: Government is led by a directly-elected president and a prime minister chosen by the National Assembly, elected through party-list proportional representation; while the prime minister is institutionally more powerful, the last three presidents have functioned as head of government when their parties controlled the Assembly.
— Chief governing party:
Српска Напредна Странка « Srpska Napredna Stranka ».
— Heads of government: Александар Вучић « Aleksandar Vučić », СНС « SNS », president (since 2017); Ана Брнабић « Ana Brnabić », prime minister (since 2017).
— Other notable parliamentary parties:
Социјалистичка Партија Србије « Socijalistička Partija Srbije »;
Партија Уједињених Пензионера Србије « Partija Ujedińenix Penzionera Srbije ».
— Notable extra-parliamentary parties:
Демократска Странка « Demokratska Stranka »;
Двери « Dveri »;
Социјалдемократска Странка « Socijaldemokratska Stranka ».
— Recent history: In addition to the various wars in Jugoslavija, Србија « Srbija » has experienced significant political turmoil and instability, with the overthrow of autocrat Слободан Милошевић « Slobodan Milošević » (1989-2000) and the assassination of prime minister Зоран Ђинђић « Zoran Đinđić » (2001-3). Србија « Srbija » has not accepted the secession of Kosova (1998-9), while its union with Crna Gora was dissolved in 2006. The defeat of Милошевић « Milošević » was brought about by a united Демократска Опозиција Србије « Demokratska Opozicija Srbije », with Војислав Коштуница « Vojislav Koštunica » as presidential candidate, and Ђинђић « Đinđić » as prime ministerial candidate. As ДОС « DOS » broke up, the liberal, pro-Western democrats coalesced around Демократска Странка « Demokratska Stranka » and Ђинђић « Đinđić » (and after his death, Борис Тадић « Boris Tadić »), with the conservative, nationalist democrats coalescing around Демократска Странка Србије « Demokratska Stranka Srbije » and Коштуница « Koštunica », while radical nationalists coalesced around the Српска Радикална Странка « Srpska Radikalna Stranka » of Војислав Шешељ « Vojislav Šešeĺ », with Томислав Николић « Tomislav Nikolić » as a placeholder (as Шешељ « Šešeĺ » was in custody for a war-crimes trial from 2003). Three straight presidential elections (2004, 2008, 2012) ended in a runoff between Тадић « Tadić » and Николић « Nikolić »; in 2004 and 2008, Николић « Nikolić » finished first but Тадић « Tadić » (2004-12) won the runoff, while in 2012 Тадић « Tadić » finished first and Николић « Nikolić » (2012-7) won the runoff. The СРС « SRS » won a plurality in two consecutive parliamentary elections (2003, 2007), but was left out of government. Коштуница « Koštunica » became prime minister (2004-8) partially with rightist support, though not that of the СРС « SRS ». A new constitution in 2006 prominently claims Kosova; with the independence of Kosova partially recognized internationally in 2008, the ДС « DS »-ДСС « DSS » coalition collapsed, and new parliamentary elections were held that year. In those elections, the Тадић « Tadić »-ДС « DS »-led coalition За Европску Србију « Za Evropsku Srbiju » secured a plurality in the Assembly, but the most pro-Western parties were just short of a majority, and the СПС « SPS » (of Милошевић « Milošević ») was brought in to secure a majority; Мирко Цветковић « Mirko Cvetković » (2008-12) became prime minister. Николић « Nikolić » left the СРС « SRS » to form the СНС « SNS » in 2008; the СНС « SNS » won a plurality in parliamentary elections in 2012 and formed a governing coalition, with Ивица Дачић « Ivica Dačić » (2012-4) of СПС « SPS » as prime minister. In 2014 parliamentary elections, the СНС « SNS » alliance won a majority, and Вучић « Vučić » (2014-7) became prime minister; it repeated the feat in 2016, but with a significant loss of seats, while a large number of parties divided the minority. In 2017, Вучић « Vučić » was elected president with a first-round majority, and chose Брнабић « Brnabić » to succeed him as PM. An election in 2020 was boycotted by the main opposition alliance, and produced a lopsided result for the СНС « SNS ».
— FH: 3-2, free. Econ: 6.49 (63), flawed democracy.
— Updated: 2021 November 29.
O.T. FORD