People's Party (Serbia, 2017)
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The People's Party (, abbr. Narodna) is a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area'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 , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. It has been led by
Vladimir Gajić Vladimir Gajić (; born 24 March 1965) is a Serbian lawyer and politician serving as a member of the National Assembly (Serbia), National Assembly since 1 August 2022. He is a vice-president of the People's Party (Serbia, 2017), People's Party. ...
since 2024. Narodna was formed in October 2017 after
Vuk Jeremić Vuk Jeremić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Јеремић, ; born 3 July 1975) is a Serbian politician and diplomat who served as the president of the United Nations General Assembly from 2012 to 2013 and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia from 2 ...
re-organised the
People's Movement of Serbia The People's Movement of Serbia (, abbr. NPS) is a centre-right political party in Serbia. Miroslav Aleksić has been the party's president since its reformation in August 2023. NPS previously existed from 2014 to 2017 and was also led by Alek ...
(NPS), a political party led by
Miroslav Aleksić Miroslav Aleksić may refer to: * Miroslav Aleksić (born 1954), Serbian politician * Miroslav Aleksić (born 1978), Serbian politician * Miroslav "Miša" Aleksić (1953–2020), Serbian musician {{hndis, Aleksic, Miroslav ...
. It cooperated with
Dragan Đilas Dragan Đilas ( sr-cyr, Драган Ђилас, , born 22 February 1967) is a Serbian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Belgrade from 2008 to 2013. From 25 November 2012 until 31 May 2014, he served as the President of the ...
and the Movement of Free Citizens and Serbian Left, with whom Narodna took part in the
2018 Belgrade City Assembly election The local election for the City Assembly of Belgrade, capital of Serbia, was held on 4 March 2018. The election had to be scheduled by the end of February 2018, since this is when the mandate of the current City Assembly expires. Parties and coa ...
and won 19% of the popular vote. Narodna then joined the
Alliance for Serbia The Alliance for Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Савез за Србију, Savez za Srbiju, abbr. SZS) was an opposition alliance of List of political parties in Serbia, political parties in Serbia that was founded in September 2018. The alliance boycotted ...
(SZS), a coalition formed by Đilas, which organised mass anti-government protests after the physical attack on
Borko Stefanović Borko Stefanović (born 5 February 1974 as Borislav Stefanović) is a Serbian politician who was the leader of the Levica Srbije political party. Prior to founding Levica Srbije, he was active in the Democratic Party, with whom he engaged in a h ...
in November 2018. Together with SZS, Narodna boycotted the 2020 parliamentary election, claiming that its conditions would not be free and fair. Narodna was later a member of the
United Opposition of Serbia The United Opposition of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Удружена опозиција Србије, Udružena opozicija Srbije, abbr. UOPS) was a political coalition in Serbia. It was formed in August 2020 as the direct successor of Alliance for S ...
, which existed between August 2020 and January 2021, and then the
United for the Victory of Serbia United for the Victory of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Уједињени за победу Србије, Ujedinjeni za pobedu Srbije, abbr. UZPS) was an opposition electoral alliance in Serbia that participated in the 2022 Serbian general election. Th ...
(UZPS) coalition. With UZPS, Narodna took part in the 2022 general elections and nominated
Zdravko Ponoš Zdravko Ponoš ( sr-Cyrl, Здравко Понош; born 3 November 1962) is a Serbian politician, former diplomat, and retired general who served as Chief of the Serbian General Staff, chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces fr ...
, a then-member of Narodna, as their presidential candidate. Ponoš lost the presidential election while Narodna won 12 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 repr ...
, although due to conflicts between Narodna and the
Party of Freedom and Justice The Party of Freedom and Justice (, abbr. SSP) is a social democratic List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It is led by Dragan Đilas. Founded in 2019 as the merger of the Green Ecological Party – The Greens and Se ...
(SSP), UZPS was dissolved after the elections. Narodna had its own
parliamentary group A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political party, political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller politic ...
s in the National Assembly and
City Assembly of Belgrade The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Latest election results The following are results of the 2024 Belgrad ...
, while serving in opposition to the
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
. A schism within the party occurred in 2023, which resulted in Aleksić and other members leaving Narodna and refounding NPS. Narodna failed to retain its representation in the 2023 elections. Initially a
centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
party, Narodna has throughout time shifted to very
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
and
nationalistic Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...
positions. Previously supportive of the
accession of Serbia to the European Union Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012 (along with nine other states), while negotiations started in 2014 and are still ongoing. Serbia is the largest country in Southeast Eu ...
, it has shifted towards
Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...
positions and it declares itself to be in favour of
military neutrality A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type o ...
.


History


Formation

Following his unsuccessful bid in an attempt to replace
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
as
United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
in late 2016,
Vuk Jeremić Vuk Jeremić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Јеремић, ; born 3 July 1975) is a Serbian politician and diplomat who served as the president of the United Nations General Assembly from 2012 to 2013 and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia from 2 ...
, the former minister of foreign affairs of Serbia, announced in January 2017 that he would run in the April 2017 Serbian presidential election. Jeremić won 5.7 percent of the popular vote and placed fourth in the presidential election. After the election, Jeremić announced in June 2017 the formation of a political party which he said "would be positioned on the
centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
on the political spectrum" (''da će to biti stranka desnog centra''). Jeremić received support from Dijana Vukomanović, a former member of the
Socialist Party of Serbia The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006. SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
, and
Siniša Kovačević Siniša Kovačević (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Синиша Ковачевић, ; born 30 May 1954) is a Serbian author, playwright, politician and professor of the Belgrade Academy of Arts, Belgrade, Academy of Arts. Biogra ...
, a playwright.
Miroslav Aleksić Miroslav Aleksić may refer to: * Miroslav Aleksić (born 1954), Serbian politician * Miroslav Aleksić (born 1978), Serbian politician * Miroslav "Miša" Aleksić (1953–2020), Serbian musician {{hndis, Aleksic, Miroslav ...
, the leader of the
People's Movement of Serbia The People's Movement of Serbia (, abbr. NPS) is a centre-right political party in Serbia. Miroslav Aleksić has been the party's president since its reformation in August 2023. NPS previously existed from 2014 to 2017 and was also led by Alek ...
(NPS), offered Jeremić to not form a party, but to re-organise his instead under a different name. Jeremić accepted this and announced that the founding assembly would be held on 22 October 2017. At the founding assembly, Jeremić was elected president of the People's Party (abbr. Narodna); Aleksić was elected as first vice-president; and Kovačević,
Sanda Rašković Ivić Sanda Rašković Ivić ( sr-Cyrl, Санда Рашковић Ивић, ; born 8 January 1956) is a former Serbian politician, psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She was the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia from 2014 to 2016. She has s ...
,
Svetozar Čiplić Svetozar Čiplić ( sr-cyr, Светозар Чиплић, born 21 April 1965) is a Serbian politician. He served as the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights (Serbia), Minister of Human and Minority Rights from 2008 to 2011. Education and career ...
,
Zdravko Ponoš Zdravko Ponoš ( sr-Cyrl, Здравко Понош; born 3 November 1962) is a Serbian politician, former diplomat, and retired general who served as Chief of the Serbian General Staff, chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces fr ...
, and Nikola Jovanović were elected vice-presidents of the party. Narodna also gained three 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 repr ...
, with Aleksić, Rašković Ivić, and Vukomanović serving as its representatives.


2017–2019

Following the formation, Narodna began cooperating with the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), a political organisation led by
Saša Janković Saša Janković ( sr-cyr, Саша Јанковић, ; born 27 April 1970) is a Serbian lawyer, journalist, human rights activist and politician who served as the National Ombudsman of the Republic of Serbia between 2007 and 2017. He resigned his ...
. Together with PSG and the Serbian Left (LS), Narodna announced in January 2018 that
Dragan Đilas Dragan Đilas ( sr-cyr, Драган Ђилас, , born 22 February 1967) is a Serbian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Belgrade from 2008 to 2013. From 25 November 2012 until 31 May 2014, he served as the President of the ...
would be their joint mayoral candidate for the
2018 Belgrade City Assembly election The local election for the City Assembly of Belgrade, capital of Serbia, was held on 4 March 2018. The election had to be scheduled by the end of February 2018, since this is when the mandate of the current City Assembly expires. Parties and coa ...
. The coalition ended up placing second and won 19 percent of the popular vote; Narodna won 5 seats in the
City Assembly of Belgrade The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Latest election results The following are results of the 2024 Belgrad ...
. Following the election, Đilas proposed the idea of creating an opposition alliance with a collective leadership; Narodna supported this proposal. This was initially realised in the City Assembly of Belgrade when Narodna, LS and the group led by Đilas formed the
Alliance for Serbia The Alliance for Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Савез за Србију, Savez za Srbiju, abbr. SZS) was an opposition alliance of List of political parties in Serbia, political parties in Serbia that was founded in September 2018. The alliance boycotted ...
(SZS) in May 2018, however on national level, SZS was formalised in September 2018. After the physical attack on the leader of LS,
Borko Stefanović Borko Stefanović (born 5 February 1974 as Borislav Stefanović) is a Serbian politician who was the leader of the Levica Srbije political party. Prior to founding Levica Srbije, he was active in the Democratic Party, with whom he engaged in a h ...
, in November 2018, SzS organised mass anti-government protests. In January 2019, Narodna, as well as other members of SZS, announced that they would boycott the sessions of the National Assembly, claiming that the National Assembly had no legitimacy due to the obstruction of the government over the opposition by allegedly violating the rules of the National Assembly, laws, and the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
. Additionally, Rašković Ivić announced that Narodna would boycott the 2020 parliamentary election and Vojvodina provincial election; this was also announced by SZS in September 2019. They claimed that the election would not be free and fair. At the party assembly in November 2019, Jeremić was re-elected as president of Narodna, while the incumbent vice-presidents, except Čiplić who was replaced by Borislav Novaković, were also re-elected.


2020–2022

The mass protests which began in 2018 formally ended in March 2020 due to the proclamation of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia The COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia was an outbreak of the disease COVID-19 in Serbia caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. Its first case in Serbia was reported on 6 March 2020, and confirmed by Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar. The case was a 43- ...
. Following the 2020 parliamentary election, SZS was dissolved and vice-president Jovanović left Narodna. Jovanović was opposed to leaving the SZS parliamentary group. This coalition was transformed into the
United Opposition of Serbia The United Opposition of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Удружена опозиција Србије, Udružena opozicija Srbije, abbr. UOPS) was a political coalition in Serbia. It was formed in August 2020 as the direct successor of Alliance for S ...
(UOPS) in August 2020, in which Narodna also took part. In September 2020, Narodna chose Ponoš as their representative for the upcoming Belgrade City Assembly election, although he later rejected this offer. UOPS was unstable and conflicts between Narodna and the
Party of Freedom and Justice The Party of Freedom and Justice (, abbr. SSP) is a social democratic List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It is led by Dragan Đilas. Founded in 2019 as the merger of the Green Ecological Party – The Greens and Se ...
(SSP), a political party led by Đilas, occurred inside the coalition. Narodna also opposed the move of SSP and the Democratic Party (DS) to form a joint platform with PSG for the inter-party dialogues on electoral conditions, considering that PSG did not boycott the 2020 parliamentary election. This led to the dissolution of UOPS, which Narodna confirmed in January 2021. Additionally, Narodna presented its platform for the inter-party dialogues on electoral conditions with the
Civic Platform The Civic Platform (, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a Centre-right politics, centre-right liberal conservative political party in Poland. Since ...
, Movement of Free Serbia, and
Slobodan Samardžić Slobodan Samardžić ( sr-cyr, Слободан Самарџић) is a Serbian academic and politician who served as the Minister for Kosovo and Metohija from 2007 to 2008. Early years and education Samardžić was born in Belgrade in 1953 to Se ...
. The dialogues lasted from July to October 2021. During this period, SSP and Narodna renewed their cooperation and subsequently announced that they would take part in a joint coalition for the
2022 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 loca ...
. Narodna opposed the proposed constitutional changes which were voted on a
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
in January 2022. A month later, the coalition between Narodna, SSP, DS, and PSG was formalised under the name
United for the Victory of Serbia United for the Victory of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Уједињени за победу Србије, Ujedinjeni za pobedu Srbije, abbr. UZPS) was an opposition electoral alliance in Serbia that participated in the 2022 Serbian general election. Th ...
(UZPS); the coalition nominated Ponoš as their presidential candidate and
Vladeta Janković Vladeta Janković ( sr-Cyrl, Владета Јанковић; born 1 September 1940) is a Serbian university professor, diplomat and politician. A former member of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Janković previously served as the Federal R ...
as their mayoral candidate for the
2022 Belgrade City Assembly election Local elections were held in Belgrade on 3 April 2022 to elect members of the City Assembly of Belgrade, City Assembly. Alongside the election, 2022 Serbian general election, national-level general elections and 2022 Serbian local elections, loc ...
. UZPS campaigned on forming
technocratic Technocracy is a form of government in which decision-makers appoint knowledge experts in specific domains to provide them with advice and guidance in various areas of their policy-making responsibilities. Technocracy follows largely in the tra ...
teams, an
anti-corruption Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measur ...
body,
lustration Lustration in Central and Eastern Europe is the official public procedure of scrutinizing a public official or a candidate for public office in terms of their history as a witting confidential collaborator (informant) of relevant former commun ...
and transparency. In the parliamentary election, the coalition won 14 percent of the popular vote, while Narodna won 12 seats in the National Assembly. In the presidential election, Ponoš placed second and won 18 percent of the popular vote, while in the Belgrade City Assembly election, the UZPS coalition won 21 percent of the popular vote; Narodna won 6 seats. Following the election, Ponoš left Narodna and formed Serbia Centre (SRCE), while UZPS disintegrated. Narodna criticised the meeting between Đilas and
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić, (born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as President of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as President of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, Deputy Prim ...
that occurred shortly after the elections, and in response
Marinika Tepić Marinika Tepić (;, ; , born 8 August 1974) is a Serbian politician. She is a vice-president of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) and a prominent opponent of President of Serbia, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and the governing Serbi ...
accused Narodna of
populism Populism is a essentially contested concept, contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently a ...
. Following the elections, Narodna remained in opposition and formed their own
parliamentary group A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political party, political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller politic ...
s in the City Assembly of Belgrade and National Assembly of Serbia. It also remained critical of PSG and SSP.


2023–present

Narodna took part in the 2023 mass protests, which were triggered after the
Belgrade school shooting On 3 May 2023, a school shooting occurred at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in the Vračar municipality of Belgrade, Serbia. The shooter, identified as 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanović, mass shooting, opened fire on students and staff, ...
and a
mass murder Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...
near Mladenovac and Smederevo in early May 2023. A month later, after a closed session of the party's main board, news media alleged that there was a dispute between Aleksić and Jeremić. The presidency, headed by Jeremić, eventually removed Aleksić from the position as the president of the party's executive board on 15 July.
Đorđe Stanković Đorđe Stanković (; born 22 April 1989) is a Serbian politician who has been a member of the National Assembly since 1 August 2022. He was a vice president of the People's Party (Narodna) until 2023. Biography Stanković was born on 22 April ...
, a vice-president of Narodna, described the move as a "
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
" (''puč'') and accused Jeremić of "
autocracy Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...
" (''autokratija''), while general secretary Stefan Jovanović denied that it was a coup d'état. Jovanović claimed that "it would represent a conflict of interest within the party" (''to predstavlja određenu vrstu sukoba interesa unutar partije'') if Aleksić remained president of the executive board. Aleksić also publicly acknowledged the conflict, describing it as a "frontal conflict between Jeremić and me" (''frontalnim sukobom između Vuka Jeremića i mene''). A leadership election was held on 22 October 2023 at which Jeremić was successfully re-elected. Although Jeremić and Aleksić were initially announced as the candidates for the position, Aleksić and other members of Narodna left the party on 6 August. Aleksić announced the reconstitution of NPS with Novaković,
Đorđe Stanković Đorđe Stanković (; born 22 April 1989) is a Serbian politician who has been a member of the National Assembly since 1 August 2022. He was a vice president of the People's Party (Narodna) until 2023. Biography Stanković was born on 22 April ...
, Slavica Radovanović, and the councillors in the City Assembly of Belgrade. Aleksić also said that although he does not have personal problems with Jeremić, "we have conceptual differences and a different view on the directions the party should have taken" (''mi imamo konceptualne razlike, drugačije viđenje pravaca kojima je stranaka trebalo da se kreće''). Miloš Bešić, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
, has assessed that the split harmed the party and its reputation. Shortly before the 2023 leadership election, the Šabac-based "Awakening" organisation, led by Dušan Tufegdžić and Vladimir Terzić, merged into Narodna. Narodna announced that it would run in the 2023 elections independently, first submitting its electoral list for the 2023 parliamentary election and then for the
2023 Belgrade City Assembly election Local elections were held in Belgrade on 17 December 2023 to elect members of the City Assembly of Belgrade, City Assembly. Initially scheduled to be held by 2026, the election was called earlier after Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serb ...
. They nominated Gajić as their mayoral candidate for Belgrade. On 27 November, their electoral list for the
2023 Vojvodina provincial election Provincial elections were held in Vojvodina on 17 December 2023 to elect members of the Assembly of Vojvodina. Initially scheduled to be held by 30 June 2024, the possibility of calling a snap election was discussed in 2023. The Assembly dissolv ...
was also proclaimed. It failed to cross the threshold in the parliamentary, provincial, and Belgrade City Assembly elections. Following the election, all members of the presidency resigned from their positions. Jeremić resigned as president of Narodna while Rašković Ivić announced her retirement from politics. New leadership was elected in February 2024. In the
2024 Belgrade City Assembly election Local elections were held in Belgrade on 2 June 2024 amidst reports of irregularities during the 2023 City Assembly election. The election was called after the constitutive session of the City Assembly of Belgrade failed to meet quorum after th ...
, Narodna formed an electoral list with
Velimir Ilić Velimir "Velja" Ilić ( sr-cyr, Велимир "Веља" Илић, ; born 28 May 1951) is a Serbian politician and founder and president of the New Serbia party. He served as the Minister of Capital Investments from 2004 to 2008, Ministry of ...
's New Serbia and the anti-vax far-right I Live for Serbia organisation. The joint electoral list failed to gain representation. In the municipality of Vračar, however, Narodna gained representation and rejected the cooperation with the opposition, thus allowing SNS to continue governing the municipality.


Ideology and platform


Political leanings

At the founding assembly in October 2017, Narodna stated its support for "
military neutrality A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type o ...
,
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
institutions,
depoliticisation Post-politics is a term in social sciences used to describe the effects of depoliticisation—a move away from the antagonistic political discourse, empowering unelected technocrats with decisions—in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when ...
of the
Security Intelligence Agency The Security Intelligence Agency (; abbr. БИА / BIA) is a national security and intelligence agency of Serbia. The agency is responsible for collecting, reporting and disseminating intelligence, and conducting counterintelligence in the interes ...
, and the adoption of the law on lustration" (''vojna neutralnost zemlje, nezavisne institucije... depolitizaciju aparata službi bezbednosti u Srbiji, kao i potreba usvajanja zakona o lustraciji''). Shortly after the founding assembly, Rašković Ivić also defined Narodna as
centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
, stating that Narodna combines
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
views, as well as support for rule of law and
workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...
. In its political programme, Narodna stated its support for "political revanchism towards members and helpers of Vučić" (''politički revanšizam prema pripadnicima i pomagačima režima Aleksandra Vučića''). It serves in opposition to the ruling
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
. Initially, Narodna was positioned on the centre-right on the political spectrum. It has since then been described as a
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
party, with Dušan Spasojević, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of University of Belgrade, and journalist noting that following the dissolution of SZS, Narodna has shifted from the centre-right to more right-wing positions. Spasojević added in 2023 that Jeremić has been more open to cooperate with right-wing parties and that he has tried to portray Narodna as the
Democratic Party of Serbia The New Democratic Party of Serbia (, , abbr. NDSS), known as the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) until 2022, is a national-conservative political party in Serbia. Miloš Jovanović serves as the current president of NDSS. DSS was formed as ...
under the leadership of
Vojislav Koštunica Vojislav Koštunica ( sr-cyrl, Војислав Коштуница, ; born 24 March 1944) is a Serbian former politician who served as the last President of Serbia and Montenegro, president of FR Yugoslavia from 2000 to 2003 and as the Prime Min ...
. Aleksić, who left Narodna in 2023, was a member seen as a
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
who is in favour of creating a coalition with
pro-European Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Pol ...
parties and unlike Jeremić, is rather centered on
anti-corruption Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measur ...
rhetoric. Panović also argued that Aleksić could have brought Narodna back to the ideological centre. Ideologically, Narodna has been described as a
liberal-conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...
and a conservative party. It is a self-described "state-building and patriotic organisation". After the schism in 2023, Narodna embraced very
nationalistic Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...
positions.


Foreign policies

Narodna began as a pro-European party and was supportive of the
accession of Serbia to the European Union Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012 (along with nine other states), while negotiations started in 2014 and are still ongoing. Serbia is the largest country in Southeast Eu ...
, although it later shifted to more
Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...
positions. In a
Heinrich Böll Foundation The Heinrich Böll Foundation (German language, German: ''Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Eingetragener Verein, e.V.''; Abbreviation: HBS) is a German legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with Alliance '90/The Greens, Alliance 90/The Gr ...
report written by Spasojević, and professors Slobodan Cvejić, Dragan Stanojević, and Bojan Todosijević, Narodna has been also described as a less "European Union enthusiastic party". Rašković Ivić stated that she remained an Eurosceptic after becoming vice-president of Narodna while Jeremić remained orientated towards pro-Europeanism.
Vladimir Gajić Vladimir Gajić (; born 24 March 1965) is a Serbian lawyer and politician serving as a member of the National Assembly (Serbia), National Assembly since 1 August 2022. He is a vice-president of the People's Party (Serbia, 2017), People's Party. ...
, the president of Narodna, has criticised the European Union, claiming that it leads an "
imperialist Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power ( diplomatic power and cultural imperialism). Imperialism fo ...
policy in the Balkans" (''imperijalnu politiku na Balkanu''). It supported a referendum on European Union membership. As of October 2023, Narodna supports Serbia joining the
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
, instead of the European Union. Following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Narodna has voiced its opposition to sanctioning Russia, but it has also supported a discussion about it in the National Assembly. Narodna supports retaining close relations with Russia. It is also opposed to the recognition of Kosovo, and together with
Dveri The Serbian Movement Dveri (), commonly just known as Dveri (), is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Serbia. Its current president since 2024 is Ivan Kostić, who succeeded Boško Obradović, one of the co-founders of ...
,
New Democratic Party of Serbia The New Democratic Party of Serbia (, , abbr. NDSS), known as the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) until 2022, is a national-conservative political party in Serbia. Miloš Jovanović serves as the current president of NDSS. DSS was formed as ...
(NDSS), and
Serbian Party Oathkeepers The Serbian Party Oathkeepers (, abbr. SSZ), commonly known as just Oathkeepers, is a far-right political party in Serbia. Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski has been the party's president since 2021. Initially known as Serbian Council Oathkeep ...
(SSZ) parties, it signed a joint declaration for the "reintegration of Kosovo into the constitutional and legal order of Serbia" (''reintegraciju KiM u ustavno-pravni poredak Srbije'') in October 2022. However since then, Narodna has "remained on the sideline, while Dveri, NDSS, SSZ, and
Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia The Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia (, abbr. POKS) is a monarchist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It was founded in 2017 after a split withi ...
cooperated more intensively", despite their similar positions regarding Kosovo. Narodna has voiced its opposition to the 2023 Ohrid Agreement and has instead proposed a referendum to be held on the matter. It has criticised the Serb List, the dominant party in
North Kosovo North Kosovo (, ); also known as the Ibar Kolašin (, or ''Kollashini i Ibrit''); earlier Old Kolašin, (, or ''Kollashini i Vjetër'') and colloquially known as the North (, ) is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, generally understood ...
, due to their political dominance in the region.


Domestic issues

In June 2021, Narodna stated that the
electoral threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of votes that a candidate or political party requires before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can operate in various ...
should be raised to 10 percent, claiming that "we would then know who would be in the government and who would be in the opposition" (''da bismo konačno znali ko je vlast, ko opozicija''). As of 2020, the threshold is 3 percent. It has also stated its opposition to Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian mining company, and its Project Jadar. Narodna opposes
lithium mining Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, ...
and supports a complete ban on it. Narodna supports introducing
mandatory conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...
, citing other military neutral countries as an example. Narodna opposed the manifestation of 2022 EuroPride in Belgrade. The "Proclamation on the Serbian question in the 21st century" was adopted by Narodna at its 4th Congress in October 2023, with Jeremić saying that "freedom, independence, self-reliance, and strength" are Narodna's four pillars. Narodna has said that it supports
family values Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. Additionally, the concept of family values may be understood ...
.


Organisation

Narodna was led by its co-founder Vuk Jeremić until his resignation in December 2023. Since February 2024, Gajić has served as president of Narodna.
Aleksandar Radojević Aleksandar Radojević ( sr-cyr, Александар Радојевић, ; born August 8, 1976) is a Bosnian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played the center position. Radojević represented the Bosnia and Herzegovina n ...
, Stefan Jovanović,
Aleksandar Marković Aleksandar Marković may refer to: * Aleksandar Marković (conductor) * Aleksandar Marković (politician) {{hndis, Markovic, Aleksandar ...
, Gordana Čabrić, Jovica Todorović, Borislav Borović, and Nebojša Bogdanović are the vice-presidents of Narodna. During its time in the National Assembly, Jovanović served as the party's parliamentary leader since Aleksić's resignation in August 2023. Aleksandar Ljubomirović serves as the party's youth wing, the Youth of the People's Party. Narodna also has a women's wing named Women's Network. Since its formation, three movements have split from Narodna, this being Experts Should Have A Say (''Da se struka pita'') in 2021, SRCE in 2022, and NPS in 2023. Its headquarters is located at Njegoševa 76,
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. In May 2021, Narodna claimed that it had around 13,000 registered members.


International cooperation

In the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...
, Narodna was represented by Jovanović, who sat in the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance (EC/DA). Narodna made an announcement when Jovanović joined the EC/DA in October 2023, stating that "many friends of Serbia who understand our position regarding Kosovo and Metohija" are part of the group; they named far-right
Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...
and French
National Rally The National Rally (, , RN), known as the National Front from 1972 to 2018 (, , FN), is a French far-right politics, far-right political party, described as right-wing populist and French nationalism, nationalist. It is the single largest Nat ...
parties as examples.


List of presidents


Electoral performance


Parliamentary elections

ImageSize = width:600 height:70 PlotArea = width:500 height:50 left:20 bottom:20 DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2017 till:31/12/2023 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2017 Legend = columns:3 left:40 top:75 columnwidth:90 Colors = id:Opposition value:red legend:Opposition Define $dx = 25 Define $dy = -1 PlotData= bar:Govern. color:blue width:25 mark:(line,black) align:center from:22/10/2017 till:end shift:($dx,$dy) color:Opposition


Presidential elections


Provincial elections


Belgrade City Assembly elections

ImageSize = width:600 height:70 PlotArea = width:500 height:50 left:20 bottom:20 DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2017 till:31/12/2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2017 Legend = columns:3 left:40 top:75 columnwidth:90 Colors = id:Opposition value:red legend:Opposition Define $dx = 25 Define $dy = -1 PlotData= bar:Govern. color:blue width:25 mark:(line,black) align:center from:22/10/2017 till:end shift:($dx,$dy) color:Opposition


References


External links

* * {{People's Party (Serbia, 2017) 2017 establishments in Serbia Centre-right parties in Europe Conservative parties in Serbia Eurosceptic parties in Serbia Liberal conservative parties Nationalist parties in Serbia Political parties established in 2017 Pro-European political parties in Serbia Right-wing parties in Europe Serb nationalist parties