Liberal Democratic Party (Serbia 1989)

The Liberal Democratic Party ( sr, Либерално демократска странка, Liberalno demokratska stranka, abbr. LDS), known as the Liberal Party ( sr, Либерална странка, Liberalna stranka, abbr. LS) until 1997, was a political party in Serbia. Founded in 1989, its first president was . Stefanović left LS to join Vojislav Šešelj's Serbian Chetnik Movement in June 1990. He was then succeeded Predrag Vuletić, who ran as a perennial candidate in elections up till 1997.

LDS did not take part in elections after 1997 but it remained active until 2010, when the party was de-registered from the registry of political parties due to the implementation of a new law.

History

The Liberal Party (LS) was founded on 14 December 1989 in Valjevo by former members of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Serbia. Its founders included , who was its first president, Predrag Vuletić, Slaven Batoćanin, and Milan Ulm. LS declared itself to be the successor of the 19th century Liberal Party.

Stefanović defected to Vojislav Šešelj's Serbian Chetnik Movement once it was formed in June 1990. Stefanović was then succeeded by Vuletić. LS was one of the organisers of the opposition protest in June 1990 in Belgrade. Vuletić was a presidential candidate in the 1990 general election, winning 5,019 votes in total. LS later took part in the 1992, 1993, and 1997 parliamentary elections. LS was a minor member of the Democratic Movement of Serbia coalition.

LS changed its name to Liberal Democratic Party (LDS) on 15 February 1997. Slobodan Ikonić of '' NIN'' stated in September 1997 that Vuletić did not publish his electoral programme for the September 1997 presidential election. LDS then took part in the Alliance for Change and Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalitions. In 1999, they organised anti-government protests in Valjevo.

Аfter Čedomir Jovanović formed the Liberal Democratic Faction inside the Democratic Party in 2004, Vuletić objected to the registration of Jovanović's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) due to its similar name in English. Vuletić offered Jovanović to take over the LDS leadership only if he would support the restoration of Serbian monarchy in return; Vuletić told the '' Glas javnosti'' newspaper in 2005 that Jovanović did not respond to his proposal. Vuletić submitted a request to the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government in November 2005 to reject LDP from being registered; LDP was eventually registered.

After the new system was adopted in 2010, LDS was deregistered as a political party and ceased to exist. In 2011, Vuletić joined the New Serbia.

Ideology and platform

LS is listed in the ''Europa World Year Book'' as an economically liberal party. Author Robert Thomas described LS as a hybrid party, stating that Stefanović wrote a book that praised Draža Mihailović, the leader of Chetniks during World War II, but also portrayed LS as "a party of the European left". LDS was anti-communist and it supported the rehabilitation of Draža Mihailović. It also supported the restoration of Serbian monarchy. According to its programme, LDS supported regionalism, privatisation, environmentalism, lustration of former members of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, and accession of Serbia to the European Union and NATO.

Organisation

LDS only had two presidents during its existence, this being Stefanović and Vuletić. According to its website from 2004, Vesna Prodanova and Slobodan Jončić served as vice-presidents of the party. By 2009, LDS had chapters in 50 municipalities. It was registered as a political party on 4 January 1994.

Its headquarters was at Pantićeva 70 in Valjevo and Njegoševa 1 in Belgrade. In 2000, its headquarters in Belgrade was moved to Mutapova 12. By November 2005, however, ''Glas javnosti'' reported that their headquarters in Belgrade were closed. Its headquarters in Valjevo have been occupied by LDP.

International cooperation

LDS had ambitions to join the Liberal International.

List of presidents

Electoral performance

Parliamentary elections

Presidential elections

References

External links

Official website
(Yugoslav domain)
Official website
(Serbian domain)

{{Authority control

1989 establishments in Serbia
2010 disestablishments in Serbia
Anti-communist parties
Defunct political parties in Serbia
Economic liberalism
Monarchist parties in Serbia
Political parties disestablished in 2010
Political parties established in 1989
Pro-European political parties in Serbia
Regionalist parties
Syncretic political movements