| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Narodna skupstina / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
11 May 2008 |
| Timing and scope of renewal |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly following premature dissolution of this body on 13 March 2008. Elections to the National Assembly had previously taken place on 21 January 2007. |
On 13 March 2008, President Boris Tadic dissolved the National Assembly and called early elections for 11 May, only 16 months after the previous elections were held in January 2007.
In the 2007 elections, the nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) became the largest party in parliament, winning 81 of the 250 seats. However, it was not able to form a government. In May, a coalition government was finally formed that comprised the Democratic Party (DS) of pro-European President Tadic, the moderate nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), the New Serbia (NS) party and the G17 Plus party. The coalition controlled 130 seats in all.
The coalition government was deeply divided over how to deal with Kosovo's declaration of independence on 17 February 2008. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica (DSS) said that recognition of Kosovo by some European Union (EU) Member States - including Britain, France and Germany - was illegal. He urged the suspension of ties with the EU. President Tadic argued that Kosovo's independence should not be linked to EU accession. The Pro-European parties in the coalition - the DS and the G17 - insisted that Serbia should accelerate the accession process.
On 4 March, Prime Minister Kostunica and the NS leader Velimir Ilic announced their intention to include a resolution in the parliamentary agenda of spring 2008 that would make EU recognition of the territorial integrity of Serbia the condition for the continuation of the talks on Serbia's association with the EU. 133 members supported the inclusion of the proposal in the agenda. However, Speaker Oliver Dulic (DS) adjourned the sitting during which the motion was being considered, on the grounds that he needed to seek the government's opinion on the proposal. On 8 March, Prime Minister Kostunica dissolved the government, claiming that he could no longer trust his coalition partners. The collapse of the coalition government triggered snap elections.
In all, 19 parties and coalitions contested the 2008 elections. President Tadic led the "For a European Serbia" alliance, comprising his DS, G17, the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), and the Sandzak Democratic Party. As in 2007, Prime Minister Kostunica led the DSS-NS coalition. He and SRS Vice-President Tomislav Nikolic announced their intention to form a coalition government after the elections. Other main contenders included the Socialist Party of Serbia-Party of United Pensioners of Serbia-United Serbia (SPS-PUPS-JS) coalition and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
In April 2008, the Constitutional Court ruled that all parties must obtain the same number of signatures (10,000) to run in the elections. In 2007, the requirement for parties representing minorities had been set at 3,000. The main minority parties - the Hungarian Coalition, the Bosniac List for European Sandzak, and the Coalition of Presevo Valley Albanians - were all able to meet the new requirement.
Kosovo's status and Serbia's relations with the EU were the main issues in the 2008 elections. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic (DS) said the elections were a referendum on Serbia's accession to the EU. On 29 April, President Tadic concluded a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The SAA paves the way for closer trade ties and relaxed visa requirements with the EU Member States, but can only be ratified after Serbia successfully completes its cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. President Tadic emphasized that the SAA does not foresee Serbian recognition of Kosovo's independence.
Both the DSS and the SRS campaigned against Kosovo's independence. The DSS insisted that Serbia should not compromise on Kosovo in a bid to accelerate accession to the EU. Prime Minister Kostunica argued that "only Serbia with Kosovo" could join the EU. He pledged to annul the SAA, claiming that it provided for Kosovo's independence as a key condition for Serbia's EU bid. Unlike the previous elections, the SRS did not use anti-EU rhetoric.
Elections took place without any major incidents. Polling was also held in 38 countries for 51,000 Serbian citizens abroad. In all, 61.35 per cent of the 6.7 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
Observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) declared that the elections were "fair and open".
The "For a European Serbia" alliance became the largest force in the new parliament with 102 seats. The SRS followed with 78 seats. The DSS-NS took 30 seats, while the SPS-PUPS-JS won 20.
The newly elected National Assembly held its first session on 11 June. On 26 June, it elected Ms. Slavica Djukic - Dejanovic (SPS) as its new Speaker.
On 27 June, President Tadic asked outgoing finance minister, Mr. Mirko Cvetkovic (who was elected under the DS banner), to form a new government. On 7 July, Mr. Cvetkovic's government was approved by the National Assembly, with the support of all parties in the "For a European Serbia" alliance, the SPS-PUPS-JS, as well as the Hungarian Coalition and the Bosniak List for European Sandzak. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 11 May 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
6'749'688
4'141'176 (61.35%)
89'940
4'051'236 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% of votes |
|
|
| "For a European Serbia" alliance |
|
1'590'200 |
|
|
39.25 |
|
|
| Serb Radical Party (SRS) |
|
1'219'436 |
|
|
30.10 |
|
|
| Democratic Party of Serbia - New Serbia (DSS-NS) |
|
480'987 |
|
|
11.87 |
|
|
| Socialist Party of Serbia - Party of United Pensioners of Serbia - United Serbia (SPS-PUPS-JS) |
|
313'896 |
|
|
7.75 |
|
|
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
|
216'902 |
|
|
5.35 |
|
|
| Hungarian Coalition |
|
74'874 |
|
|
1.85 |
|
|
| Bosniak List for European Sandzak |
|
38'148 |
|
|
0.94 |
|
|
| Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley |
|
16'801 |
|
|
0.41 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total of seats
|
|
|
|
|
| "For a European Serbia" alliance |
102
|
|
|
|
|
| Serb Radical Party (SRS) |
78
|
|
|
|
|
| Democratic Party of Serbia - New Serbia (DSS-NS) |
30
|
|
|
|
|
| Socialist Party of Serbia - Party of United Pensioners of Serbia - United Serbia (SPS-PUPS-JS) |
20
|
|
|
|
|
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
13
|
|
|
|
|
| Hungarian Coalition |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Bosniak List for European Sandzak |
2
|
|
|
|
|
| Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
196
54
21.60%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
|
| Comments |
| Source: National Assembly (10.06.2008) |
|
