Goran Vesić (; born 18 February 1969) is a Serbian politician who served as the minister of construction, transport and infrastructure from 2022 to 2024. A member of 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 ...

, he served as a member 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 2001 to 2004 and briefly in 2022. He also served as the deputy mayor of

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 ...

from 2018 to 2022. Vesić resigned as construction minister in the aftermath of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse and was subsequently arrested. His term ended on 25 November 2024.

Early life

He finished elementary school and high school in

Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...

. He graduated from University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, and he was a Robert Schumann European Foundation intern in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

in 1999.

Political career

Democratic Party

From February to September 1997, he was a member of the Executive Board of the Assembly of the

City of 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 ...

, and from 1996 to 2000 he was a member of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade. From 2001 to 2004 he was a member of the

National Assembly of the Republic 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 ...

after being elected as a candidate 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). From 2001 to 2002 he was the President of the Administrative Board of the National Assembly of the

Republic of 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 ...

. He served as an advisor to the Federal Minister of the Interior of the

FR 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 ...

and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Defense and Security of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia from 2001 to 2003, and as an advisor to the ministers of defense of

Serbia and Montenegro 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 2003 to 2004. Member of the commission for the division of military property between Serbia and Montenegro after the termination of the existence of FR Yugoslavia and the formation of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in the period from 2003 to 2004. He was a member of the Assembly of the city municipality of

Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a popul ...

from 2004 to 2008. From 1994 to 1997, he was the head of the cabinet of the president of the Democratic Party (DS),

Zoran Đinđić Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician and philosopher who served as the Prime Minister of Serbia, prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until Assassination of Zoran Đinđić, ...

. He participated as an advisor in all election campaigns of the prime minister of Montenegro,

Milo Đukanović Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...

, from 1997 to 2000, as well as in the election campaign of the former president of Republika Srpska Biljana Plavšić in 1997. After 2004, he actively participated in election campaigns in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

Serbian Progressive Party

In 2013 he left the Democratic Party, and joined the

(SNS). In 2013, he became a member of the main board of the Serbian Progressive Party, and in 2016 he became a member of the presidency of the party. From 2014 to June 2018, he was the manager of the city of Belgrade. In June 2018, by the decision of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade, he was elected deputy mayor. He was sometimes described as the de facto mayor of Belgrade. During his term, Vesić was considered one of the most unpopular politicians in Serbia. In February 2022, he was named deputy chief of the SNS election headquarters at a session of the party leadership. He was replaced by Vesna Vidović in June 2022. Vesić appeared in the 17th position on the

's '' Together We Can Do Everything''

electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...

in the 2022 general election. This was tantamount to election, and he was indeed elected to the

when the list won a plurality victory with 120 out of 250 seats. Vesić was appointed minister of construction, transport and infrastructure and took office on 26 October 2022. In July 2024, Vesić tested positive for the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

. He was placed on home treatment, and he continued to perform his duties from home.

Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse and arrest

Following the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse and the death of 14 people on 1 November 2024, Vesić held a conference and announced his resignation as minister of construction on 4 November, while denying his responsibility for the accident. Vesić officially resigned the following day. His resignation was acknowledged by the National Assembly on 25 November. The railway station was renovated from 2021 to 2024 and Vesić participated in the opening ceremony of the renovated station. Vesić was arrested on 21 November due to the collapse of a railway station in Novi Sad. He is facing charges of causing public danger, a crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison. The High Court in Novi Sad ordered Vesić to be detained for up to 30 days, which prompted Vesić to start a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. On 26 November, Vesić was transferred to the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases in Sremska Kamenica due to worsening health conditions. On 27 November, all charges against Vesić were dropped and he was released from custody.

Personal life

Vesić is an avid

FK Crvena Zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

supporter and has served on the main board of the team.

References

External links

Главни град мора да буде чистији - интервју („Политика”, 17. јануар 2018)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vesic, Goran 1969 births Democratic Party (Serbia) politicians KK Crvena Zvezda executives Living people Members of the National Assembly (Serbia) Politicians from Kraljevo Serbian Progressive Party politicians University of Belgrade Faculty of Law alumni