Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the
president of Serbia
The president of Serbia (), officially styled as President of the Republic (), is the head of state of Serbia. The current officeholder is Aleksandar Vučić, who was elected in 2017 and has held the role since 31 May 2017.
According to the C ...
from 2004 to 2012.
Born in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, he graduated from the
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 ...
with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist, military psychologist, and teacher at the
First Belgrade Gymnasium
First Belgrade Gymnasium () is a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium (Central European type of grammar school) with a long tradition, founded in 1839 in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1938, it is situated in the center of the city, on 61 Cara Dušana Street. T ...
. Tadić joined the
Democratic Party (DS) in 1990 and was elected to 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 ...
after the
1993 election. After the
downfall of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, he was appointed as the minister of telecommunications in the government of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
, a role which he held until 2003, after which he was appointed
minister of defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
in the government of Serbia. Tadić was elected president of DS a year after the
assassination of Zoran Đinđić
Zoran Đinđić, the sixth Prime Minister of Serbia, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, was Assassination, assassinated on Wednesday 12 March 2003, in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia (1992–2006), Serbia. Đinđić was fatally shot by a sni ...
after previously serving as a member of its provisional leadership. He stood as a candidate for DS in the
2004 presidential elections, which he won after beating
Tomislav Nikolić of the
Serbian Radical Party in the second round.
During his first mandate, he advocated cooperation and reconciliation of the
former Yugoslav countries, became the first Serbian head of state or head of government to visit the
Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, and launched an initiative for the Serbian parliament to adopt a resolution condemning the
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by unit ...
. He successfully ran for re-election in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
after again beating Nikolić in the second round. During his second mandate, DS formed a
coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
with 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 ...
, its former opponent, which signed the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement
In talks with countries that have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes European Union Association Agreement, Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights ref ...
(SAA), while the EU abolished
visas for Serbian citizens travelling to
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
countries and Serbia received
EU candidate status. Additionally, Serbia also completed its obligations to the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
(ICTY).
The period during his second mandate was also characterised by the challenges of the
2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which proclaimed the Kosovo, Republic of Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state, was adopted at a meeting held on 17 February 2008 by 109 out of the 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo, in ...
and the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, leading to low rates of economic growth.
After being pressured by protests that were organised by Nikolić's
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 ...
in 2011, Tadić announced that snap elections will be held in 2012. He lost in the second round to Nikolić, who succeeded him as president of Serbia. Tadić was replaced by
Dragan Đilas as the president of DS in November 2012, after which Tadić unsuccessfully sought to become the party's president again in 2014. He then left DS and formed the New Democratic Party, later renamed to
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
, which remained a parliamentary party up to the
2020 election, which it boycotted. A self-described
liberal, he is an advocate of closer ties with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
(EU), supports 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 ...
, and is widely regarded as
pro-Western
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
-orientated, while favouring balanced relations with Russia, China, United States, and the European Union.
Early life
Tadić was born in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, the capital of the
People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
, a republic within the
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. His father,
Ljubomir
Lubomir, Lyubomir, Lyubomyr, Lubomír, Ľubomír, or Ljubomir is a Slavic given name meaning lub (love) and mir (peace, world). Feminine forms are: Lubomira and Ljubica.
Nicknames
Lubor, Luboš, Luborek, Lubošek, Borek, Lubo, Ľubo, Ljubo ...
, was a philosopher and a member of the
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS).
The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...
. His mother,
Nevenka, was a psychologist. His maternal grandfather and up to six other relatives were killed by the Croatian
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
The Tadićs are descendants of the
Serb clan of
Piva, in the region of
Old Herzegovina, Montenegro. The family's
slava (patron saint)
Slava (, ) is a family's annual ceremony and veneration of their patron saint. The ceremony is found mainly among Orthodox Serbs.
Although its origin is unknown, this old tradition is an important ethnic marker of Serbian identity. It is a ...
is
Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
. His parents frequently relocated between various cities and had moved to Sarajevo from Paris, where they pursued their doctoral studies, only a few days prior to his birth. Tadić and his family moved to
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 ...
when he was three years old, and his father got a job at the newspaper ''
Liberation (''Oslobođenje'')''.
Tadić finished ''Pera Popović Aga'' (today ''
Mika Petrović Alas'')
elementary school and matriculated at the First Belgrade Gymnasium in
Dorćol. During his teenage years he played water polo for
VK Partizan, but had to quit due to injuries. He graduated from the
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy (), established in 1838 within the Belgrade Higher School, is the oldest Faculty at the University of Belgrade. The Faculty building is located at the meeting point of the Čika-Ljubina with the ...
with a degree in psychology, specifically
social psychology
Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...
in the department of
clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...
.
He was arrested during his studies in July 1982 for protesting the arrest of a group of students, arrested for protesting against
martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland () existed between 13 December 1981 and 22 July 1983. The Polish United Workers' Party, government of the Polish People's Republic drastically restricted everyday life by introducing martial law and a military junta in an a ...
and in support of the
Solidarity
Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
movement. Tadić spent one month in
penal labour
Penal labour is a term for various kinds of forced labour that prisoners are required to perform, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence involving penal labour have included in ...
prison in
Padinska Skela.
He worked as a journalist, military clinical psychologist and as a teacher of psychology at the
First Belgrade Gymnasium
First Belgrade Gymnasium () is a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium (Central European type of grammar school) with a long tradition, founded in 1839 in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1938, it is situated in the center of the city, on 61 Cara Dušana Street. T ...
.
Until 2003, Tadić also worked at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the
University of Arts in Belgrade
The University of Arts in Belgrade ( sr-cyr, Универзитет уметности у Београду, Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu) is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1957 as the Academy of Arts to unite four academies. ...
as a lecturer of political advertising. He is a Senior Network Member at the
European Leadership Network (ELN).
Early political career

Tadić joined the newly founded
Democratic Party in 1990. He served as an MP and member of the parliamentary Science and Technology Committee following the
1993 Serbian parliamentary election.
Boris Tadić founded the Centre of Modern Skills (Centar modernih veština, CMV) in 1998, an NGO dealing with political and civic education, and the development of the political culture and dialogue.
The Democratic Party was part of the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Демократска oпозиција Cрбије, Demokratska opozicija Srbije, abbr. DOS) was a wide electoral alliance of political parties in Serbia, intent on ousting the ruling Socialist Par ...
(DOS), a grand coalition of anti-
Milošević parties which played a key role in his
downfall in 2000. Tadić was elected deputy leader of the Democratic Party twice, in February 2000 and then in October 2001.
Tadić served as Minister of Telecommunications in the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
from November 2000 to March 2003 and as
Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
from March 2003 until he started his presidential campaign in April 2004. He served as an MP of the Democratic Party in the Chamber of Citizens of the
Federal Assembly and later went on to be the acting parliamentary leader of the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Демократска oпозиција Cрбије, Demokratska opozicija Srbije, abbr. DOS) was a wide electoral alliance of political parties in Serbia, intent on ousting the ruling Socialist Par ...
coalition in 2003, the president of the Security Services Control Committee, as well as the parliamentary leader of the Democratic Party in the
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
starting in February 2004.
The
assassination of Zoran Đinđić
Zoran Đinđić, the sixth Prime Minister of Serbia, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, was Assassination, assassinated on Wednesday 12 March 2003, in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia (1992–2006), Serbia. Đinđić was fatally shot by a sni ...
in March 2003 led to a leadership convention of the Democratic Party in February 2004, which was won by Tadić against
Zoran Živković. He was later reelected unopposed in regular leadership conventions in 2006 and 2010.
Presidency
President of Serbia within state union (2004–2008)
Tadić, as the newly elected Democratic Party leader, was chosen as the candidate for the presidential election. He defeated
Tomislav Nikolić of the
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
Radical Party in the run-off of the
2004 presidential election with 53% of the vote. He was
inaugurated on 11 July of that year.
During the 2004 election campaign, Tadić promised to form a new special institution called the People's Office. The People's Office of the President of the Republic was opened on 1 October 2004. The role of the People's Office is to make communication between the citizens and the President easier, and to cooperate between other state bodies and institutions, in order to enable the citizens of Serbia to exercise their rights. The People's Office of the President is divided into four divisions: Legal Affairs Division, Social Affairs Division, Projects Division and General Affairs Division. The first Director of the People's Office was
Dragan Đilas. When he joined the Government of Serbia as the Minister in charge of the National Investment Plan in 2007, Tatjana Pašić became the new Director.
Tadić advocated cooperation and reconciliation of the
former Yugoslav countries, strained by the burden of 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 from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
of the 1990s. On 6 December 2004, Boris Tadić made an apology in Bosnia and Herzegovina to all those who suffered crimes committed in the name of the Serbian people. In July 2005, Tadić visited the Bosnian town of
Srebrenica
Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa.
During the Bosnian War in 1995, Srebr ...
on the 10th anniversary of
massacre
A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...
of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...
forces. In 2007, Tadić issued an apology to Croatia for any crimes committed in Serbia's name during the
war in Croatia
The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
.
Tadić presided during the
independence referendum in Montenegro (2006). He was the first foreign head of state to visit Montenegro after it became independent on 8 June, and promised to continue friendly relations. Serbia declared independence as well, and Tadić attended the first raising of the
flag of Serbia
The flag of Serbia (), also known as the Tricolour (), is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands, red on the top, blue in the middle, and white on the bottom (on civil flag), with the lesser coat of arms left of center (on stat ...
at the
United Nations Headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...
in New York.
On 6 September 2007, Tadić was a signatory of the agreement that led to the formation of the Council for Cooperation between Serbia and
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
, together with
Milorad Dodik
Milorad Dodik ( sr-Cyrl, Милорад Додик, ; born 12 March 1959) is a Bosnian Serb politician currently serving as the 8th president of Republika Srpska since 2022, a position he previously held from 2010 to 2018. He also served as ...
and
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 ...
. In late 2007, he stated that Serbia does not support a break-up of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and that, as a guarantor of the
Dayton Accords
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Dejtonski mirovni sporazum, Дејтонски мировни споразум), and colloquially kn ...
that brought peace to Bosnia, he supports its territorial integrity. Tadić also said that Serbia supports the
accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU, and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
.
As President, Tadić has pursued a pro-Western
foreign policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
. On 28 September 2005, he met with Pope
Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...
in Vatican City, making him the first Serbian head of state to be granted an audience with a pope. This helped improve traditionally strained
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
-
Orthodox relations.
On 22 June 2007, Tadić presided over the 1000th meeting of the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe ( French: ''Comité des ministres du Conseil de l'Europe'') or Committee of Ministers ( French: ''Comité des ministres'') is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Fo ...
in Belgrade.
Contrary to his earlier decision in the
2004 Kosovan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo on 24 October 2004 during the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, United Nations Interim Administration. The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) remained the largest party, winning ...
, Tadić stated that he had no right to call on
Kosovo Serbs
Kosovo Serbs form the largest ethnic minority group in Kosovo (5–6%). The precise number of Kosovo Serbs is difficult to determine as they have boycotted national censuses. However, it is estimated that there are about 95,000 of them, nearly ...
to vote in the
2007 Kosovo parliamentary election, as the standards he asked for in 2004 were not reached.
Reelection campaign
Boris Tadić has advocated an early presidential election that is required under constitutional law, since the adoption of the new
Constitution of Serbia
The current Constitution of the Republic of Serbia (), also known as Mitrovdan Constitution () is the supreme and basic law of Serbia. It was adopted in 2006, replacing the previous constitution dating from 1990.
History
The adoption of current ...
, after the successful
constitutional referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...
in October 2006. On 13 December 2007, the speaker of the Parliament,
Oliver Dulić, set the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
date for 20 January 2008. The Democratic Party submitted the candidacy of its leader to the Republic Electoral Commission on 21 December. Tadić held his first election convention on 22 December, in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
. The re-election campaign was led under the slogan ”For a strong and stable Serbia“ (''За Јаку и Стабилну Србију'') in the first round and "Let's win Europe together!" (Да освојимо Европу заједно!) in the second. Tadić advocated
integration of Serbia into the European Union but also territorial integrity of Serbia with sovereignty over
Kosovo and Metohija. As a part of a campaign, Boris Tadić answered the 10 most interesting questions every week through the campaign website in the form of video response on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
Tadić received support from
G17 Plus
G17 Plus was a centre-right List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded as a non-governmental organization dealing with economic issues, in 2002 it transformed into a political party that became part of several ruling ...
and
Sanjak Democratic Party, partners from the Government. He also received support of various national minority parties including
Hungarian and
Romani parties. He received 1,457,030 votes (35.39 per cent) in the first round. In the second round on 3 February 2008, he faced
Tomislav Nikolić and won the election with 2,304,467 votes (50.31 per cent). After the election he assured Serbian citizens in Kosovo that they would never be betrayed.
President of Serbia (2008–2012)
Tadić was sworn in at the inauguration ceremony on 15 February 2008 in the
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
.
The
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Скупштина Републике Косово, Skupština Republike Kosovo) or the Kuvendi, is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Kosovo that is directly elected by the peo ...
proclaimed a declaration of independence on 17 February 2008. Boris Tadić urged a
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
meeting to react urgently and annul the act. He also said that Belgrade would never recognise the independence of Kosovo and would never give up the struggle for its legitimate interests. Russia backed Serbia's position and President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
said that any support for Kosovo's unilateral declaration is immoral and illegal.
On 21 February Tadić met
President of Romania
The president of Romania () is the head of state of Romania. The president is directly elected by a two-round system, and, following a modification to the Romanian Constitution in 2003, serves for five years. An individual may serve two ter ...
Traian Băsescu
Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, ...
in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
where he thanked him for Romanian support and stated that "Serbia will not give up its future in Europe".
Tadić said that Serbia would never recognise an independent Kosovo. He stated that the problem of Kosovo was not solved by the
unilaterally declared independence and that the decade-long problems between Serbs and Albanians still exist. He called the international institutions to find a solution within the
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
, for the continuation of negotiations. He also called a decision made by the US President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
to send arms to Kosovo "bad news".
Tadić also said that Serbia would not accept the legality of the EU's planned
policing and judiciary mission for Kosovo. On 25 February 2008, Boris Tadić met with
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
and
Sergei Lavrov in Belgrade where Medvedev stated that "We proceed from the understanding that Serbia is a single state with its jurisdiction spanning its entire territory, and we will adhere to this principled stance in the future, We have made a deal to coordinate together our efforts in order to get out of this complicated situation". Agreement on the
South Stream
South Stream (; ; ; ; ; ) is a canceled pipeline project to transport natural gas of the Russian Federation through the Black Sea to Bulgaria and through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia further to Austria. It was never finished.
The project was f ...
pipeline was also signed during this visit.
On 5 April 2008, Tadić called the acquittal of
Ramush Haradinaj
Ramush Haradinaj (; born 3 July 1968) is a Kosovo Albanian politician, leader of the AAK party, and the third prime minister of Kosovo. He is a former officer and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and previously served as Prime Minist ...
"disgraceful because of the innocent victims" and demanded the
ICTY
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribun ...
to appeal. He said that Serbia wishes to help the Tribunal to collect evidence "because Haradinaj’s place is in prison". He said that former
Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte (born February 9, 1947) is a Swiss former Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals. A former Swiss attorney general, she was appointed prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the f ...
had said that witnesses in the case against Haradinaj had been intimidated and even murdered to prevent them testifying to his crimes.
Following the Republic of Kosovo's formation of the
Kosovo Security Forces in January 2009, he sent protest letters both to the and NATO Secretaries-General. The letter states that Serbia views those forces as an illegal paramilitary organisation that constitutes a threat to the country's security and a danger to peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Tadić drew attention to the fact that the KSF were formed on the basis of the Ahtisaari Plan that was never adopted by the Security Council and added that the creation of these forces constitutes a breach of the Serbian Constitution and international law, which is why they should be disbanded. He called for the
demilitarisation
Demilitarisation or demilitarization may mean the reduction of state armed forces; it is the opposite of militarisation in many respects. For instance, the demilitarisation of Northern Ireland entailed the reduction of British security and milita ...
of Kosovo.
On 13 March 2008, President Tadić signed a decree dissolving the country's parliament and slating early parliamentary elections for 11 May. Boris Tadić gathered a large pro-EU coalition around his Democratic Party and
G17 Plus
G17 Plus was a centre-right List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded as a non-governmental organization dealing with economic issues, in 2002 it transformed into a political party that became part of several ruling ...
for the
Serbian parliamentary election in 2008, named “
For a European Serbia
For a European Serbia () was a big tent and pro-EU electoral alliance, led by Boris Tadić, which participated in the 2008 Serbian parliamentary election. It received 38.42% of the popular vote, translating into 102 seats in the 250-seat Parliamen ...
– Boris Tadić". The coalition list was led by
Dragoljub Mićunović
Dragoljub Mićunović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб Мићуновић ; born 14 July 1930) is a Serbian politician and philosopher. As one of the founders of the Democratic Party, he served as its leader from 1990 to 1994, and as the president of ...
and it also included
Sanjak Democratic Party,
Serbian Renewal Movement
The Serbian Renewal Movement (, abbr. SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1990 by writer Vuk Drašković, who served as the party's president until 2024. Aleksandar Cvetković is the incumbent leader. ...
and
League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina. The coalition won 38% of the vote, more than any other list. He condemnеd remarks regarding the election made by
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga CYC (; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary Gener ...
and
Pieter Feith and called on the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
not to interfere with Serbian elections.
Tadić said that he was ready, authorised as per
Vienna Convention, to sign the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement
In talks with countries that have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes European Union Association Agreement, Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights ref ...
(SAA) with the European Union if it were offered on 28 April, but not at the price of recognising Kosovo's unilaterally declared independence. Tadić attended the signing of the SAA ceremony in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
on 29 April, where the Deputy Prime Minister
Božidar Đelić
Božidar Đelić ( sr-cyr, Божидар Ђелић, ; born 1 April 1965) is a Serbian economist and former politician. A longtime member of the Democratic Party (Serbia), Democratic Party, he was highly positioned in politics of Serbia after ...
signed the document on behalf of Serbia, as per the authorisation of the Government from December 2007. He was opposed by the then Prime Minister
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 ...
who believed that Serbia ought not to sign ''any'' agreements with the European Union. While, on 1 May, Koštunica said that Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed, he nonetheless vowed to annul the agreement after the parliamentary elections, calling it "not in the service of Serbia's territorial integrity."
On 27 June 2008, Tadić named
Mirko Cvetković
Mirko Cvetković ( sr-Cyr, Мирко Цветковић, ; born 16 August 1950) is a Serbian economist and former politician who served as the Prime Minister of Serbia, prime minister of Serbia from 2008 to 2012 and as finance minister from 200 ...
for the new
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, following the victory of his party coalition in
parliamentary election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
that took place in May. Cvetković was sworn in after giving the oath 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 ...
on 7 July 2008.
Following the
2008 Russo-Georgian War, and Russian recognition of
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...
and
South Ossetia
South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...
, Tadić refused to follow suit, saying that even though he respects the Russian support to Serbia regarding Kosovo, "Serbia is not going to recognise these so-called new countries". He stated that "Serbia is not going to do something that is against our interest, because we are defending our territorial integrity and sovereignty by using international law" and that by constitution he must defend the interests of Serbia, and not the interests of any other country in the world.

Tadić invoked his constitutional powers of Commander-in-Chief of the
Military of Serbia and dismissed the Chief of the General Staff
Zdravko Ponoš on 30 December 2008. Ponoš made public accusations against the Defence Minister
Dragan Šutanovac in the media. It was also revealed that he ignored the minister and has not submitted a single report in a year.
In April 2009, Tadić announced a constitutional reform proposal. His initiative includes the proposal to reduce the number of 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 ...
members from 250 to 150 to better reflect the size of the country followed by changes in law on party registration and financing in order to consolidate similar parties and limit those with little support which should bring Serbia closer to a
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...
. The second proposed amendment would change the administrative division of Serbia by dividing it into more autonomous regions in order to achieve a more balanced development. This change would lead to Serbia's being divided into seven regions instead of the current asymmetrical division which includes two autonomous provinces but where the majority of the territory has no special autonomy. However, the proposals haven't came to fruition.
During his visit to Serbia in May 2009,
Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...
,
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...
, stated that he doesn't agree with the decision of the Polish Government to recognise the independence of Kosovo and that he as the President "favours the policy pursued by Serbian President Boris Tadić". They also discussed energy, particularly Europe's dependence on natural gas from just one source, and agreed that there is a need for a common EU energy policy that should also include the Balkan states.
On 21 May 2009, Dragan Marić, a former businessman who was revolted over the court decision in his dispute with the national air carrier
Jat Airways
Jat Airways (stylized as JatAirways; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jat ervejz, Јат ервејз) was the national flag carrier and largest airline of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia and later Serbia and Montenegro and ...
, entered the Presidency office carrying two hand grenades and seeking an out-of-court settlement signed by President or Government. Members of the
Battalion of Military Police Cobras, providing security to the President of Serbia, managed to take one of the grenades immediately and isolate the attacker, however the perpetrator removed the pin from the second grenade and threatened to detonate it by releasing the lever. The negotiations were handled by the special team of the
Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, supported by the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and lasted for several hours until the man was disarmed and arrested. After the incident, Tadić, who was present in the secured area of the building, congratulated the police and army special units, the security and negotiation team for doing a terrific job, peacefully and with no casualties and also said that problems, no matter what kind, cannot be resolved by force and by jeopardising citizens' lives.
In October 2009, after the Serbia national football team, Serbia national team 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7, qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Tadić and other Serbian ministers celebrated at the end of the match in Belgrade's Red Star Stadium by Toast (honor), toasting the winning team with a glass of champagne. It is illegal to consume alcohol at Serbian sporting events, in order to stop violence. Tadić pleaded guilty, saying "I did not know that consumption of alcohol, even if only for a toast, has been forbidden so I fully take responsibility for the violation" and was fined Euro, €400.
Some observers have describe that the coalition government led by Tadić's Democratic Party introduced some media control mechanisms, which were further developed by the Aleksandar Vučić regime to severely curtail media freedom.
Ljiljana Smajlović, editor-in-chief of ''Politika'', has accused Tadić several times of pressuring editorial politics.
Following his defeat at the 2012 Serbian presidential election, 2012 presidential elections, Tadić and main opposition candidate
Tomislav Nikolić had similar media coverage, but the campaign coverage was characterised by the lack of analytical and critical reporting, while some media outlets such as the weekly ''NIN (magazine), NIN'' and tabloid ''Blic'' showed a preference for Tadić.
Advisors
Advisors to the President of the Republic carry out the analytical, advisory and other corresponding tasks for the needs of the President of the Republic as well as other expert tasks in relations of the President with the Government and the Parliament.
Chief of Staff is Miodrag Rakić. Acting Secretary General of the Office of the President was Vladimir Cvijan from 2008 to 2010.
Previous advisors who served from 2005 to 2008 are Biserka Jevtimijević Drinjaković (economic issues), Vladimir Cvijan (legal issues) and Dušan T. Bataković and Leon Kojen (political issues). Most of the former advisors are now serving as directors of public enterprises and ambassadors.
Post-presidency
2012 elections and aftermath
On 5 April 2012, a day after announcing his decision, Tadić submitted his resignation to the speaker of parliament, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Slavica Đukić-Dejanović, who then took over as acting president. This led to bringing forward the 2012 Serbian presidential election, presidential election to coincide with the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election, parliamentary election on 6 May.
Amid controversy regarding the legitimacy of the third mandate and the legality of certain decisions, incumbent Tadić lost the presidential elections to his opponent,
Tomislav Nikolić from 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 ...
. Nikolić won 49.7% of the votes in the runoff vote, versus 47% for Tadić, according to data from the Serbian Center for Free Elections and Democracy. The result was considered somewhat of a surprise, as Tadić had exploited his resignation for the presidential vote to coincide with parliamentary elections.
Tadić was criticised both inside and outside the party for the manoeuvre of calling early presidential elections without a clear goal, and entering them with over-confidence.
Dragan Đilas, long-time mayor of Belgrade and one of rare Democrats who remained in his seat after 2012 elections, announced that he would challenge Tadić in December party elections. After a period of gauging the odds, it became obvious that Đilas would receive majority support. Before the electoral conference, Đilas and Tadić reached a face-saving agreement whereby Tadić would step down from the race and remain the party's honorary president, and Đilas thus became the only major candidate. Đilas was elected president of the Democratic Party on 25 November 2012.
New Democratic Party
In early 2014, after losing the internal reelections in the Democratic Party to Dragan Đilas, Tadić resigned from his position of honorary president and left the party. Subsequently, a number of prominent party members defected from the party and stated that they intend to form a list in the forthcoming 2014 Serbian parliamentary election, parliamentary election with Tadić as its leader. A coalition was agreed upon with the
League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina. A political party, named the ''New Democratic Party'', was then formed and registered. In the same year the party was renamed Social Democratic Party (Serbia). In the 2023 Serbian parliamentary election, SDS took part as part of the Good Morning Serbia alliance.
Policy and criticism
Coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia
Following the 2008 Serbian parliamentary election, 2008 election, Tadić's
Democratic Party was unable to form a pro-European government with the hard-line Liberal Democratic Party (Serbia), Liberal Democratic Party. Faced with the possibility of a Euroscepticism, eurosceptic government led by the Democratic Party of Serbia, the
Serbian Radical Party and the post-
Milošević 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 ...
(SPS), Tadić proposed a coalition with the SPS. On 7 June 2008 at an assembly of the Main Board of the Democratic Party, Tadić compared the DS and the SPS saying that both grieved over the loss of their presidents, Đinđić and Milošević. His address was heavily criticised by members of the Liberal Democratic Party, the
League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina and the Social Democratic Union (Serbia), Social Democratic Union.
On 18 October 2008 Tadić and Ivica Dačić, President of the Socialist Party of Serbia, signed a ''Declaration of Political Reconciliation'' drafted in July, agreeing on Accession of Serbia to the European Union, further EU integration and Belgrade–Pristina negotiations, negotiations with Kosovo based on UN Resolution 1244. The Declaration was again viewed as exonerating Milošević's regime and the
G17 Plus
G17 Plus was a centre-right List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded as a non-governmental organization dealing with economic issues, in 2002 it transformed into a political party that became part of several ruling ...
, the
Serbian Renewal Movement
The Serbian Renewal Movement (, abbr. SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1990 by writer Vuk Drašković, who served as the party's president until 2024. Aleksandar Cvetković is the incumbent leader. ...
and League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina refused to sign it despite supporting the government. It was also criticised by the right-wing Dveri and the
Serbian Radical Party who called the declaration a reconciliation of the two wings of the League of Communists of Serbia, League of Communists who split at the 8th Session of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Serbia, 8th Session. Tadić defended the reconciliation after the 2012 Serbian presidential election, 2012 presidential election reiterating that Serbia was in need of consensus-building policies.
Press freedom
In 2011 Report, the Freedom House described the media situation as generally free and stated that press operated with little government interference, although most media outlets are thought to be aligned with specific political parties. Some observers have describe that the coalition government led by Tadić's Democratic Party introduced some media control mechanisms, which were further developed by the Aleksandar Vučić regime to severely curtail media freedom.
Media associations criticised the ruling coalition for adopting the controversial Law on Public Information proposed by the
G17 Plus
G17 Plus was a centre-right List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. Founded as a non-governmental organization dealing with economic issues, in 2002 it transformed into a political party that became part of several ruling ...
.
On 8 April 2011 the European Federation of Journalists wrote to Tadić that press freedom in Serbia was seriously compromised, that the safety of investigative journalists in Loznica and
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 ...
was threatened and that independent newspapers were struggling against economic pressure and political interference, sometimes even against undue judiciary pressure through court decisions. The two main journalism associations and the journalists' union stated support for the letter. Ljiljana Smajlović, editor-in-chief of ''Politika'', has accused Tadić several times of pressuring editorial politics.
In September 2011 the Anti-Corruption Council, led by Verica Barać and with the support of Commissioner for Information of Public Importance Rodoljub Šabić, Serbian Ombudsman, Ombudsman Saša Janković, and presidents of the two main journalism associations Ljiljana Smajlović and Vukašin Obradović, published a report detailing the state of the freedom of the press in Serbia from January 2008 to June 2010. The Council concluded that the media in Serbia was overwhelmed by strong political pressure, that full control over the media was established, that no medium broadcast objective and complete information, and that events were censored or reported on selectively and incompletely. The report concluded that marketing agencies owned by senior
Democratic Party officials and Tadić's close associates, namely Srđan Šaper and
Dragan Đilas, held a significant share of the advertising market.
Following his defeat at the 2012 Serbian presidential election, 2012 presidential elections, Tadić and main opposition candidate
Tomislav Nikolić had similar media coverage, but the campaign coverage was characterised by the lack of analytical and critical reporting, while some media outlets such as the weekly ''NIN (magazine), NIN'' and tabloid ''Blic'' showed a preference for Tadić.
On the other hand, the election observation organisations highlighted the many national-frequency televisions broadcast more affirmative content about the opposition parties.
Personal life
Tadić's sister, Vjera, is a psychologist and currently teaches psychology in the
First Belgrade Gymnasium
First Belgrade Gymnasium () is a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium (Central European type of grammar school) with a long tradition, founded in 1839 in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1938, it is situated in the center of the city, on 61 Cara Dušana Street. T ...
. Besides his Serbian language, native language, Boris Tadić is reportedly fluent in English, French, Italian and German.
He was previously married to journalist Veselinka Zastavniković from 1980 to 1996, but they divorced, having had no children. They met in the 1970s. Throughout their marriage they were actively involved in various socio-political activities including protests and petitions against Human rights in Serbia, human-rights abuses and so-called 'verbal delict' in SFR Yugoslavia in the 1980s as well as anti-
Milošević protests in the 1990s.
Tadić was married to Tatjana Rodić, with whom he has two daughters. The couple separated in 2019.
[Alo Info re Tatjana Tadić]
He is tall.
Tadić's maternal grandfather was Strahinja Kićanović, a wealthy tradesman and landowner who unsuccessfully ran twice for the office of member of parliament. He was killed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
at the Jadovno concentration camp, Jadovno camp. Although this is today a well-known fact stated by Tadić on several occasions, Yugoslav communist authorities falsely listed Strahinja Kićanović as being killed simultaneously both at Jadovno and Jasenovac. This false claim was later even restated by institutions in Croatia and the United States.
Honours and awards
On 4 August 2007, Tadić was awarded the European Prize for Political Culture that is given by the Swiss Foundation ''Hans Ringier'' of the Ringier Publishing House in Locarno. Previously it was awarded to Jean-Claude Juncker. Tadić decided to donate the financial part of the award for humanitarian purposes for the maternity hospital in a town near Gračanica monastery, Gračanica.

Tadić received the Quadriga (award), Quadriga award in September 2008, an annual German award sponsored by Werkstatt Deutschland, a non-profit organisation based in Berlin. The award recognises four people or groups for their commitment to innovation, renewal, and a pioneering spirit through political, economic, and cultural activities. The other three winners were Wikipedia, represented by Jimmy Wales; Eckart Höfling, Franciscan and director; and Peter Gabriel, musician and human rights activist. The award given to Tadić was named ''The Courage of Perseverance'' and was presented by Heinz Fischer, the Federal President of Austria.
In March 2010, Tadić received the Steiger Award ''Europe'' of the Rhine-Ruhr for "respectfulness, openness, humanity, and tolerance".
In 2011, Tadić won the North-South Prize awarded by the Council of Europe and distinguishing his deep commitment and actions for the promotion and protection of human rights, defence of pluralist democracy, and the strengthening partnership of the north–south solidarity.
In 2012, in Brussels, Tadić, together with the ex-President of Croatia Ivo Josipović, was awarded the European Medal of Tolerance by the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, in recognition of the Balkan statesmen's "significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining Tolerance and Reconciliation on the European continent".
Balkan leaders honoured for ‘tolerance, honesty, moral courage, and reconciliation’ at European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation ceremony (European Jewish Press)
*''European Prize for Political Culture'' by Ringier in 2007;
*''Medal For the Contribution to the Victory'' of Russian Federation in 2008;
*''The Courage of Perseverance'' by Quadriga (award), Quadriga in 2008;
*''Golden Keys of the City'' of Madrid in 2009;
*''Honorary doctorate'' of Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University in 2009;
*''40 Years of Revolution Medal'' of Libya in 2009;
*''Steiger Award'' of Rhine-Ruhr in 2010;
*''Golden Medal'' of Hellenic Parliament in 2010;
*Jubilee Medal "65 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" from the Russian Federation in 2010;
*''North–South Prize'' of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
in 2011;
*''Order of the Republika Srpska'' of Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
in 2012; and
*''Ilyas Afandiyev International Prize'' of Azerbaijan in 2012.
*''European Medal of Tolerance'' by the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation in 2012.
References
Notes
External links
Centre for modern skills
2008 Official Presidential Campaign Website
Boris Tadić YouTube channel
Boris Tadić MySpace campaign page
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tadic, Boris
Boris Tadić,
1958 births
Living people
Politicians from Sarajevo
Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni
Serbia and Montenegro politicians
Serbian democracy activists
Democratic Party (Serbia) politicians
Social Democratic Party (Serbia) politicians
Candidates for President of Serbia
Presidents of Serbia