The Christian Democratic Party of Serbia ( sr, Демохришћанска Странка Србије, Demohrišćanska Stranka Srbije; abbr. ДХСС, DHSS) was a
political party in Serbia.
History
The party was founded in 1997 by
Vladan Batić after leaving the
Democratic Party of Serbia
The New Democratic Party of Serbia ( sr, Нова демократска странка Србије, Nova demokratska stranka Srbije, , NDSS or New DSS) is a national-conservative political party in Serbia.
Initially known and formed as Democ ...
(DSS), following disagreements with its leader
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica ( sr-cyrl, Војислав Коштуница, ; born 24 March 1944) is a Serbian former politician who served as the last president of FR Yugoslavia from 2000 to 2003 and as the prime minister of Serbia from 2004 to 2008.
...
.
Following the reestablishment of diplomatic dialogue between the Serbian and Montenegrin governments, mediated by
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga (; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-dem ...
, the DHSS started a campaign called ''Serbia Also Has a Say'' (I Srbija se pita) in late 2001 calling for a referendum in Serbia on Serbia's secession from the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
. The party was part of the
DOS government from 2001 until 20 November 2002 when it froze its participation following a vote by the DOS against starting a parliamentary debate concerning Serbia's independence from
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
. It advocated a referendum on the issue following the
overthrow of Slobodan Milošević
The overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, began after the presidential election on 24 September and culminated in the downfall of Slobodan Milošević's government on 5 October 2000. It is sometimes referred to as the 5 Oct ...
. A petition asking for the referendum collected 400,000 signatures.
The DHSS was opposed to the
Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro
The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Уставна повеља Србије и Црне Горе, ''Ustavna povelja Srbije i Crne Gore'') came into force on 4 February 2003, creating a confederacy between Serbia and Montene ...
citing the differences between the two republics' monetary, financial and banking systems, and advocated the dissolution of the federation. It strongly advocated voting in the
2001 Kosovan election, in which it supported the "Return" coalition.
In the
2003 election, the DHSS was part of the
Independent Serbia coalition which won no seats.
In the
2007 election, DHSS president Vladan Batić was listed on the
Liberal Democratic Party electoral list and won one seat.
In the
2008 election, the DHSS went in coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party and the
Social Democratic Union, and won one seat, awarded to Vladan Batić. However, on 10 November 2008 Batić left the LDP parliamentary group and from then on voted as an independent MP. The split occurred because the LDP had recently joined the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
and couldn't go on in coalition with a conservative party. At that time, the DHSS was also interested in joining the
European People's Party
The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...
.
After the death of Vladan Batić on 29 December 2010 the leadership of the party was transferred to his daughter
Olgica Batić
Olgica Batić ( sr-Cyrl, Олгица Батић, born 7 December 1981) is a Serbian lawyer and politician. She was President (2011-2017) of the now-defunct Christian Democratic Party (DHSS) and was a member of the National Assembly of Serbia (20 ...
according to his wish. She was officially elected leader on 3 September 2011.
In the
2012 parliamentary election, the DHSS was part of the
Choice for a Better Life
Choice for a Better Life ( sr, Избор за бољи живот, Izbor za bolji život) was a political coalition in Serbia, headed by Boris Tadić and his Democratic Party. They competed in the 2012 parliamentary election and won 22.07% of th ...
coalition centered around the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and won one seat in the
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly ( sr-cyr, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ) is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are proportionally elected to four-year terms by secret ballot. The as ...
. The sole MP was Olgica Batić.
In the
2014 parliamentary election, the DHSS went in coalition with the
Serbian Renewal Movement
The Serbian Renewal Movement ( sr-cyrl, Српски покрет обнове, Srpski pokret obnove, SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia.
History
The Serbian Renewal Movement party was founded in 1990 through the merger ...
, which was in turn part of the Future We Believe In coalition centered around the
Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска напредна странка, Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) has been the ruling political party of Serbia since 2012.
Founded by Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić in 2008 as a s ...
. The DHSS won one seat and its sole MP was Olgica Batić. On 12 October 2017, the DHSS merged into the
Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia (POKS). Party president Olgica Batić stated full support for the Movement's primary goals - traditional values, preserving the family, the fight for Serbian farmers and the
full membership of Serbia in the European Union.
Even though the party has been long gone, it has remained in the party register of Serbia since then.
Electoral results
Parliamentary elections
References
External links
Official website{{Serbian political parties
1997 establishments in Serbia
2017 disestablishments in Serbia
Christian democratic parties in Europe
Conservative parties in Serbia
Defunct political parties in Serbia
Eastern Orthodox political parties
Political parties disestablished in 2017
Political parties established in 1997
Pro-European political parties in Serbia