Fahrudin Radončić (; born 24 May 1957) is a Bosnian media magnate,

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

investor An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some specie ...

, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as the Minister of Security on two occasions. He is the founder of the ''

Dnevni avaz ''Dnevni avaz'' (; English: Daily Voice) is the most influential and best-selling daily newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is published in Sarajevo. Their web portal Avaz.ba is the third most visited website in Bosnia and Herzegovina, afte ...

,'' the best-selling newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is the founder and current president of the

Union for a Better Future of BiH Union for a Better Future of BiH ( bs, italic=yes, Savez za bolju budućnost BiH or SBB BiH) is a Bosniak centre-right political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The party was founded in September 2009 by Fahrudin Radončić, the founder and ow ...

. From 2015 to 2019, Radončić was also a member of the national House of Peoples.

Biography

Born in

Ivangrad Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангр� ...

SR Montenegro The Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора), commonly referred to as Socialist Montenegro or simply Montenegro, was ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

, Radončić finished elementary and high school in

Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

. He started working in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

at 19, and at 23 he was editor of the Republican Youth Magazine "Youth Movement in Podgorica". In the same period he got involved in politics as a member of the

League of Communists of Montenegro , logo = , colorcode = , leader = President of the League of Communists of Montenegro , foundation = 1943 , dissolution = 22 June 1991 , successor = Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegr ...

, serving as executive secretary of the Republican Organization of the Union of Communists in

until 1988. His family originates from Kuči. He has stated that his mother is of

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

origin. From 1989 until the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he worked as a commentator and correspondent for Montenegro's ''Danas'' weekly. In 1990 he published the book "10,000 Days of Slavery", a biography of

Adem Demaçi Adem Demaçi (; 26 February 1936 – 26 July 2018) was a Kosovo Albanian politician and writer. Early life Demaçi studied literature, law, and education in Pristina, Belgrade, and Skopje respectively. In the 1950s, he published a number of sh ...

, an Albanian who spent 28 years in the prisons of the SFR Yugoslavia while fighting for

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

's independence. The same year Radončić moved from Podgorica to

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

where he founded the publishing house ''Avaz'' in 1991.Životopis Fahrudina Radončića
(na bosanskom). Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo. Pristupljeno 13. ožujka 2014. In 1992, at the start of the war, Radončić joined the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of ...

(ARBiH), serving for a year as member of the cabinet of General

Sefer Halilović Sefer Halilović (born 6 January 1952) is a former general and commanding officer of the Bosnian Army during the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001, he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former ...

, Chief of Staff of the ARBiH Supreme Command. In October 1993, while living in besieged

, he launched the weekly publication ''Bošnjački avaz'' (English: Bosniak voice). The first texts published in this magazine, dated 15 November 1993, were strongly opposed to the division of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

". In October 1995, through his publishing company, Radončić launched ''

'' (English: Daily voice). In 2000, he constructed the first Avaz building (today Addiko Bank building in Sarajevo), in 2004 the Radon Plaza Hotel, and in 2007 he won the largest public acknowledgement for contribution to the reconstruction of

Sarajevo Canton The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton of Sarajevo ( bs, Kanton Sarajevo; hr, Sarajevska županija; sr-Cyrl, Сарајевски кантон), is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It ...

. In 2006, the construction of the

Avaz Twist Tower The Avaz Twist Tower is a 40 story, 172m tall skyscraper in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the headquarters for '' Dnevni avaz'', a Bosnian newspaper company.

began, the highest building in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. It was completed in a record two years. In 2012, his company built the largest business centre in

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, ed ...

. Radončić founded his own party in September 2009, the

, as a centre-right Bosniak party. Since then, he has served twice in government as Minister of Security, the first time from 22 November 2012 until 29 April 2014 (

Vjekoslav Bevanda Vjekoslav Bevanda (; born 13 May 1956) is a Bosnian Croat politician who is the current Minister of Finance and Treasury. He is also the current Vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving alongside Bisera Turko ...

cabinet), and the second time since 23 December 2019 until 2 June 2020 ( Zoran Tegeltija cabinet). From 16 February 2015 until 28 February 2019, Radončić was a member of the national House of Peoples. He competed for the Bosniak post of member of the

Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine, separator=" / ", Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is a three-member body which collectively serves as head of state of ...

in 2010, 2014 and 2018, each time losing to the

Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...

(SDA) candidates,

Bakir Izetbegović Bakir Izetbegović (; born 28 June 1956) is a Bosnian politician who served as the 6th Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2010 to 2018. He is the current president of the Party of Democratic Action and member of the ...

and

Šefik Džaferović Šefik Džaferović (; born 9 September 1957) is a Bosnian politician who is the 7th and current Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2002 to 2018, he was a member of the national House of Representatives. A high ranki ...

. On 2 June 2020, Radončić resigned as Minister of Security over a migration dispute with other members of the

Bosnian government The Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, whereby executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Legislative power is vested in both the Cou ...

led by

Zoran Tegeltija Zoran Tegeltija (; born 29 September 1961) is a Bosnian Serb politician serving as the 10th Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina since December 2019. He was Minister of Finance of Republika Srpska from 2010 to 2018 and m ...

; he proposed the deportation of 9,000 migrants which the cabinet voted against. His first wife is the Montenegrin journalist Snježana Rakonjac, with whom he had a son. In 1994, Radončić married Azra Bučan, with whom he had two sons. In May 2012, they divorced.

Works

*''Adem Demaçi. Deset tisuca dana robije'' (''Confession. One Thousand Days of Imprisonment''), Danas Verlag, Zagreb 1990 *''Bosna ce opstati'' (''Bosnia will remain''), Danas Verlag, Zagreb 1991 *''Goodbye, Bosnia'', Danas Verlag, Zagreb 1991

References

External links

*
Dnevni Avaz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radoncic, Fahrudin 1957 births Living people People from Berane Bosniaks of Montenegro Albanians in Montenegro Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Albanian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Montenegrin descent Bosnia and Herzegovina journalists Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina soldiers Union for a Better Future of BiH politicians Government ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Security ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina