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Božidar Delić ( sr-cyr, Божидар Делић, ; 20 February 1956 – 23 August 2022) was a Serbian general and politician who served as the vice president of 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 ...
from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2 to 23 August 2022. Initially a member of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Delić joined 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 ...
(SNS) in 2008 and later returned to SRS in 2011. In 2020, Delić left SRS again and founded Love, Faith, Hope (LJVN) political organization along with Nemanja Šarović. He left LJVN in early 2022 and, shortly after, he was announced as the National Democratic Alternative coalition's ballot carrier for the 2022 Serbian parliamentary election.


Early life and education

Delić was born on 20 February 1956 in Petrovac, a village near
Đakovica Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
, in the AR Kosovo and Metohija,
PR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...
, FPR Yugoslavia. He attended the first four grades of elementary school in Petrovac, and the second four grades in Đakovica. Later he 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 ...
, where he graduated from the Military Academy of the Yugoslav Ground Forces and the National Defence School.


Military career

After finishing his studies, he was assigned as an infantry lieutenant in
Bileća Bileća ( sr-cyrl, Билећа) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 7,476 inhabitants, while the municipality has 10,807 inhabitants. History The first traces of ci ...
,
SR 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 ...
, and worked there at the training center for the training of reserve officers.


Yugoslav Wars

As a
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
, Delić participated in the
Siege of Dubrovnik The siege of Dubrovnik ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, opsada Dubrovnika, опсада Дубровника) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings dur ...
and remained there from 1991 to 1992. There he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Then, with the consent of the superior command, he volunteered to go fight in
Nevesinje Nevesinje ( sr-cyrl, Невесиње) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,162 inhabitants, while the municipality has 12,961 inhabitants. Geography The municipality o ...
, in the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
and was named Chief of Staff of the Bileća Brigade of the
Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...
. In 1995, he was reassigned to the position of commander of the 549th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army. He was a commander of this brigade during the
Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
and the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
in 1999. His brigade also included a group of Russian volunteers, the most famous of whom were Anatoly Lebed and Albert Andiev. After the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement, the Yugoslav Army had to withdraw from AP Kosovo and Metohija. He spent some time with the brigade in
Leskovac Leskovac ( sr-Cyrl, Лесковац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a p ...
, where the demobilization of volunteers, reservists and ranks whose military service ended, was organized. He was later promoted to the rank of one-star general. On 16 August 2022, representatives of a Kosovar NGO from the town of
Gjakova Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
submitted lawsuits to Kosovo’s Special Prosecution, accusing Delić of war crimes in the villages of Meja and Krusha. Delić was previously investigated, but was never indicted and stated to 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 ...
that he was unaware of the atrocities.


Post war military career

During the overthrow of
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
on 5 October 2000, Delić was the commander of the Belgrade Corps of the Yugoslav Army. His units did not intervene during the demonstrations. From 2002 to 2005, he served in the Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army and the Army of Serbia and Montenegro. He was retired in 2005. He appeared as a defense witness before the ICTY in the trials of Slobodan Milošević and Vladimir Lazarević.


Political career

Delić was originally a member of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) 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 ...
under its banner in the
2007 Serbian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 21 January 2007 to elect members of the National Assembly of Serbia, National Assembly. The first session of the new National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia was held on 14 February 2007. The elec ...
. Subsequently, he was elected vice president of the National Assembly. He was re-elected vice president of the National Assembly following the 2008 parliamentary elections. In September 2008, when there was a split in the Serbian Radical Party, he sided with Tomislav Nikolić and together with him founded the parliamentary club "Go Forward Serbia", and then 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 ...
. In December 2010, Delić stated that "there have been disagreements between him and the leadership of the Serbian Progressive Party". In February 2011, he announced that he was leaving the Serbian Progressive Party and returning to the Serbian Radical Party. As a member of SRS, he served as a member of the main board of the party and was re-elected MP in the 2016 parliamentary elections. After the 2020 parliamentary elections, when the Serbian Radical Party failed to pass the electoral threshold, together with the vice president of the party Nemanja Šarović, he entered into a conflict with the party's long time president
Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...
, as a result of which they were expelled from party membership. Shortly after, they founded the Love, Faith, Hope (LJVN) political subject, with Šarović being elected president and Delić vice president. In January 2022, it was announced that Delić had left LJVN and founded his own political group '' There's no Going Back – Serbia Is Behind''. In February 2022, National Democratic Alternative opposition coalition named Delić as their ballot carrier for the 2022 parliamentary election. Formally, his endorsement was from Bunjevci Citizens of Serbia, although he was not a member of the party. Following his election to the National Assembly after the 2022 election, Delić was elected vice president once again on 1 August.


Death

Delić died of cancer on 23 August 2022, in Moscow, Russia, at the age of 66.


References


External links


INTERVJU: Božidar Delić – Srbi su stari i ponosni narod, moramo čuvati našu tradiciju! (21.8.2021)
Balkan Info
BEZ USTRUČAVANJA – Božidar Delić: Mi imamo ludaka na čelu države koji je opasan po ceo narod!
Bez Cenzure – Zvanični kanal {{DEFAULTSORT:Delić, Božidar 1956 births 2022 deaths Military personnel from Gjakova Kosovo Serbs Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent Serbian generals Officers of the Yugoslav People's Army Serbia and Montenegro military personnel Serbian Radical Party politicians Serbian Progressive Party politicians Politicians from Gjakova Members of the National Assembly (Serbia) Deaths from cancer in Russia