The Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians ( hu, Vajdasági Magyarok Demokratikus Közössége, VMDK; sr-Cyrl, Демократска заједница војвођанских Мађара , Demokratska zajednica vojvođanskih Mađara, DZVM) is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
representing the
Hungarian minority.
Established in 1990, it was first led by
András Ágoston and then by
Sándor Páll
Sándor Páll ( Serbian: Шандор Пал, ''Šandor Pal'') (15 February 1954, Bačko Petrovo Selo – 7 July 2010, Novi Sad) was an ethnic Hungarian politician in Serbia and leader of Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians.
Born in B ...
until his death in 2010. it is led by
Áron Csonka Áron Csonka ( sr-cyr, Арон Чонка, Aron Čonka; born 25 November 1976) is a politician in Serbia from the country's Hungarian national minority community. Since 2010, he has been the leader of the Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungari ...
. The party's headquarters are in
Bečej
Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. It ...
. It was the first party of the
Hungarian minority in Serbia, and it had MPs in several compositions of 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 ...
during the 1990s. However, the
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians ( hu, Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség; sr, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Savez vojvođanskih Mađara; abbr. СВМ, SVM, or VMSZ) is a regionalist political party in Serbia representing th ...
took the primate among Hungarian voters in 1997, and VMDK has seen only sporadic participation in the National Assembly and the
Parliament of Vojvodina since. It was a part of the
United for the Victory of Serbia
United for the Victory of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Уједињени за победу Србије, Ujedinjeni za pobedu Srbije, UZPS) was an opposition political coalition in Serbia that participated in the 2022 Serbian general election.
The coal ...
coalition in the
2022 general election, but it did not win any seats.
History
On 19 December 1989, in the eve of
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coal ...
in Serbia, a group of 11 activists started an initiative for creation of an authentic organization of Hungarians in Serbia. Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians was formed on 31 March 1990 in
Doroslovo
Doroslovo ( sr, Дорослово or Doroslovo, hu, Doroszló, hr, Doroslovo) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Sombor, West Bačka District, Vojvodina province. The population of the village numbering 1,830 people ( ...
, a village in northern Vojvodina. Its first leader was
András Ágoston.
On the first post-communist
parliamentary elections in Serbia held the same year, they won 2.64% of the vote, earning 8 seats in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
Amidst the growing ethnic tensions, the
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
of the 1990s and pressure from Serbian nationalism, the party radicalized their program and demanded a strong autonomy for Hungarians in Serbia, similar to ones sought by Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia at the time. Since the new course was perceived as too radical, several parties split from VMDK in 1994, and the
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians ( hu, Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség; sr, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Savez vojvođanskih Mađara; abbr. СВМ, SVM, or VMSZ) is a regionalist political party in Serbia representing th ...
went off to become the dominant party among Serbian Hungarians. In 1997, Ágoston left the VMDK, forming the
Democratic Party of Vojvodina Hungarians
Democratic Party of Vojvodina Hungarians (, VMDP, , DSVM) is a political party in Serbia representing the Hungarian minority. It advocates for a "personal autonomy" for Hungarians in Vojvodina. It is led by Béla Csorba.
Electoral results
Parli ...
.
Sándor Páll
Sándor Páll ( Serbian: Шандор Пал, ''Šandor Pal'') (15 February 1954, Bačko Petrovo Selo – 7 July 2010, Novi Sad) was an ethnic Hungarian politician in Serbia and leader of Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians.
Born in B ...
took over as the president of VMDK, but the party has never regained its previous influence.
In the
1992 parliamentary elections, the party won 2.98% of the popular vote and 9 seats in the National Assembly. In the
1993 parliamentary elections, the party won 2.61% of the popular vote and 5 seats in the National Assembly. In the
1997 parliamentary elections, the party won 1.5% of the popular vote, but no seats in the National Assembly. The majority of Hungarian votes went to the newly formed
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians ( hu, Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség; sr, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Savez vojvođanskih Mađara; abbr. СВМ, SVM, or VMSZ) is a regionalist political party in Serbia representing th ...
, which would remain the major Hungarian political party in Serbia to this day. In the
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
and
2003 parliamentary elections the party again failed to win any seats in the National Assembly. In the
2008 elections, the party was part of the Hungarian Coalition, which won 4 seats in the Serbian parliament. In the
2012 elections, the party was part of the All Together coalition, which won 1 seat in the Serbian parliament. In the
2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014.
* 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014
Africa
* 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014
* 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014
* 2014 Comorian presi ...
, the party participated on
Boris Tadić
Boris Tadić ( sr-cyr, Борис Тадић, ; born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012.
Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology ...
's coalition list. In the
2016 elections, they formed a coalition with the Hungarian Movement, but it did not participate in the state elections, opting instead only for municipal and provincial elections in Vojvodina.
Participation in elections
Parliamentary elections
Provincial elections
In the
provincial elections in Vojvodina in 2008, the party was part of the Hungarian Coalition, which won 7% of votes in the first election round.
In the
provincial elections in Vojvodina in 2012, the party was part of the All Together coalition, which won 0.47% of votes in the first election round and which won no seats in the provincial parliament.
Local elections
In the
local elections in Serbia in 2008, the party was part of the Hungarian Coalition, which won the majority of votes in
Kanjiža
Kanjiža ( sr-Cyrl, Кањижа, pronounced ) formerly Stara Kanjiža ( sr-cyrl, Стара Кањижа; yi, קניזשא; hu, Magyarkanizsa, formerly ''Kanizsa'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomou ...
(50.91%), as well as plurality of votes in
Senta
Senta ( sr-cyrl, Сента, ; Hungarian: ''Zenta'', ; Romanian: ''Zenta'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the bank of the Tisa river in the ge ...
(31.87%),
Bačka Topola
Bačka Topola ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка Топола, ; hu, Topolya, ) is a town and municipality located in the North Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The municipality is composed of 23 local communities and has a po ...
(46.25%),
Mali Iđoš
Mali Iđoš ( sr-cyrl, Мали Иђош, ; hu, Kishegyes, ) is a village and municipality located in the North Bačka District of the autonomous province Vojvodina, Serbia. The municipality comprises three local communities and has a population ...
(37.18%), and
Bečej
Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. It ...
(29.63%).
In the
local elections in Serbia in 2012, the party was part of the All Together coalition, which did not won the plurality of votes in any municipality in Vojvodina.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Fellowship Of Vojvodina Hungarians
1990 establishments in Serbia
Hungarian political parties in Serbia
Political parties established in 1990
Politics of Vojvodina
Regionalist parties
Centrist parties in Serbia