HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan) * Chief of the General Staff (Albania) * C ...
of the
Serbian Armed Forces The Serbian Armed Forces () is the military of Serbia. The President of the Republic acts as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, while administration and defence policy is carried out by the Government through the Ministry of Defence. The h ...
from 2006 to 2008. Born in Golubić, a village near
Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...
, Ponoš later moved to
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, where he spent most of his youth and obtained a degree in
electronic engineering Electronic engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering that emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control electric current flo ...
. Ponoš moved to Serbia in 1986, where he began his military career. Two years later, he obtained a job at the Department of Development and Equipment in
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 worked until 2002. Ponoš then acquired a position at the
Ministry of Defense 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 divided ...
, where he served as an advisor to multiple ministers, including future president
Boris Tadić Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist ...
. In 2005, he was promoted to the rank of major general after having served as a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
since 2000, and also became deputy chief of the General Army. A year later, Tadić promoted him to become the chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces. As chief of the General Staff, Ponoš worked on army reforms and professionalisation, though this process stagnated in late 2008 due to a conflict with defense minister
Dragan Šutanovac Dragan Šutanovac ( sr-cyrl, Драган Шутановац, ; born 24 July 1968) is a Serbian politician who served as the minister of defence from 2007 to 2012 and as the president of the Democratic Party from 2016 to 2018. Biography He gr ...
, which led to his dismissal in December 2008. Ponoš was retired as an army officer a year later. After leaving the military, Ponoš worked as a diplomatic assistant to foreign affairs minister
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 ...
, whom he previously worked with in the Serbian government. Their cooperation continued after 2012, and Ponoš served as chief of Jeremić's cabinet during his mandate as president of the
UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...
. After returning from the United States, they formed the Center for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development, with Ponoš initially serving as executive director and later as a senior advisor. Ponoš entered politics in 2017 after participating in Jeremić's campaign team during the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...
, and later that year, they founded the People's Party. He was a vice-president of the party until November 2021 and was the nominee of 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 ...
coalition in the
2022 Serbian presidential election General elections were held in Serbia on 3 April 2022 to elect both the president of Serbia and Member of parliament, members of the National Assembly (Serbia), National Assembly. Initially, parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held in ...
, in which he placed second. He left the People's Party after the election and formed the Serbia Centre organisation in July 2022, which became a registered party a year later. He 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 ...
in the 2023 election. A
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 ...
politician, he is in favour 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 ...
and military cooperation with
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 ...
. He also criticised
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 ...
and the government's approach towards foreign relations and military.


Early life and education

Zdravko Ponoš was born on 3 November 1962 in Golubić, a village near
Knin Knin () is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagreb and Split, Croatia, Split. ...
, in the
SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
,
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 ...
. He comes from a
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
family. He finished elementary school in Golubić and moved to
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
in his youth, where he finished secondary technical school and attended land forces high school. He decided to continue with military school, later stating that "it was something completely new and unknown". Ponoš enrolled in a technical military academy in Zagreb, where he obtained a degree in
electronic engineering Electronic engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering that emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control electric current flo ...
in 1986. He finished his postgraduate studies in 1999 at 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 ...
's Faculty of Electrical Engineering, with a master's degree in Global Navigation Systems. During his time at the University of Belgrade, he published his work regarding Global Navigation Systems in a notable Japanese magazine. He attended the
Royal College of Defense Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest leve ...
in London and also completed courses in Switzerland and Germany. He had also completed STANAG 6001, a
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 ...
course.


Military career


1980s–1990s

Ponoš's military career began in 1986. After finishing military academy in Zagreb, he was offered a position there as an assistant, but he rejected the offer, instead choosing to work at the
Military Technical Institute Military Technical Institute (; abbr. ) is a Serbian weapons and aircraft design institute, headquartered in Belgrade, and governed by the Ministry of Defence (Serbia), Serbian Ministry of Defence. It is a top-level military scientific research ...
in
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 ...
. Ponoš was stationed in
Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
and
SAP Kosovo The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / "; ; . Also abbreviated as SAP Kosovo. referre ...
. During that time, he worked on jamming TV Tirana broadcasts in Kosovo, later stating that "the job was rather futile, but the army did not assign those tasks themselves". He was stationed in Kosovo until 1988, when he decided to move back to Belgrade to work at the Department of Development and Equipment. He described his job as "interesting", and that it was mainly concentrated on intensive contacts with civic institutes and companies. By the 1990s, he had already moved to Serbia, and during the beginning of the break-up of Yugoslavia, he thought of leaving the country, but ended up staying. During 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, he and his team used methods of detecting aircraft flying overhead to prevent greater losses, especially in AP Kosovo and Metohija. He described it as "the brightest phase of our work". Following the bombing, Ponoš was awarded the Order of Merit in the Field of Defense and Security by Yugoslav president
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 ...
.


2000s

Ponoš was promoted to
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in 2000 and five years later he became a major general. He experienced polarisation in the army during the
overthrow of Slobodan Milošević The Overthrow of Slobodan Milošević began in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the general election on 24 September 2000 and culminated in the downfall of Slobodan Milošević's government on 5 October 2000. As such, it is commonly ...
, stating that "effective changes did not occur in the army after the 5 October revolution". He worked at the department until 2002, and shortly after he began working at the defense ministry. He had served as an advisor to
Boris Tadić Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist ...
while he was the head of the defence ministry. During his time at the defence ministry, he was offered to form a "cooperation department with NATO" which he accepted. He described his time under Tadić as "a successful collaboration". Ponoš remained in that position until 2004, when he was appointed as chief of the directorate. In 2005, he became the deputy chief of the army. As deputy chief, he was primarily orientated towards army reform and
professionalisation Professionalization or professionalisation is a social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true "profession of the highest integrity and competence." The definition of what constitutes a profession is often contested. ...
, and after the dissolution 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 ...
in 2006, he joined the team led by minister
Zoran Stanković Zoran Stanković ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Станковић, ; 9 November 1954 – 5 October 2021) was a Serbian major general and politician. He served as the Minister of Defence in the Government of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Serbia ...
to continue the reforms. At that time, he was one of the youngest members of the general staff.


Chief of the General Staff (2006–2008)

Ponoš was appointed by Tadić, by then
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 ...
, as the
chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan) * Chief of the General Staff (Albania) * C ...
on 13 December 2006. He was also promoted to the rank of
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
. His appointment was described by academics as "a package for faster access to European integration" due to his status as a
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 ...
general. As chief of the general staff, he continued his support for army reform and professionalisation, and also stated his support for higher salaries for army officers and for army cooperation with neighbouring countries, European Union and NATO. During his first week as chief of the general staff, he represented Serbia during the opening of the NATO liaison office in Serbia.
Dragan Šutanovac Dragan Šutanovac ( sr-cyrl, Драган Шутановац, ; born 24 July 1968) is a Serbian politician who served as the minister of defence from 2007 to 2012 and as the president of the Democratic Party from 2016 to 2018. Biography He gr ...
replaced Stanković as defence minister in May 2007. Four days later, Ponoš travelled to the United States where he met with the US chief of staff. Ponoš commented in October that "the army would not protect war criminals that were convicted by
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 ...
". Later in December, Ponoš and Šutanovac stayed for several days near administrative lines with Kosovo to observe the situation, which they later stated to be "peaceful" and that "destabilization in this part of Serbia would not be expected to occur". In October 2008, he met with army representatives of Turkey and Norway. A month later, he expressed his support to change the
Kumanovo Agreement The Military Technical Agreement, also known as the Kumanovo Agreement, signed between the International Security Force (KFOR) and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, was an accord concluded on 9 June ...
. A conflict between Ponoš and Šutanovac became public after Ponoš stated in an interview that reforms were allegedly stopped by the ministry, and that Šutanovac allegedly violated military's autonomy. Shortly after, Tadić stated that "the defense system is stable" during an interview. Tadić then decided to side with Šutanovac in this conflict, and he dismissed Ponoš on 30 December, after alleging that he had violating military rules. Ponoš was previously called by conservative politicians to resign due to his reforms and pro-Western views. This had sparked media attention in April 2007. ''Radio Free Europe'' journalist Branka Mihajlović had considered the conflict to be a "political showdown within the Democratic Party". Under Ponoš, the
Ohio Army National Guard The Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the Ohio National Guard and the Army National Guard of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio M ...
and Serbia cooperated and engaged in military drills under the auspices of the US
State Partnership Program The State Partnership Program (SPP) is a joint program of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the individual U.S. state, states, Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories, and Washington, D.C., District of Colu ...
; the program was implemented in September 2007, shortly before his appointment as chief of the General Staff. Ponoš declassified parts of the transcripts from the sessions of the collegium of the chief of the General Staff revealing that Slobodan Milošević and later, to a lesser extent,
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 ...
, planned to use the army for political purposes, especially in Montenegro. During his time as chief of the General Staff, the army held highest approval ratings according to the Serbian public. He was succeeded by
Miloje Miletić Miloje Miletić ( sr-Cyrl, Милоје Милетић, born 1953) is the former Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces The Serbian Armed Forces () is the military of Serbia. The President of the Republic acts as commander-in- ...
in February 2009.


Retirement

After his dismissal as chief of the General Staff, Ponoš stayed in the army for another year, although unallocated. Ponoš expressed a wish to become an assistant for
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 ...
's foreign affairs ministry, although Šutanovac stated that "he does not intend to propose his retirement to Tadić" and he suggested Ponoš should resign from his position in the defence ministry. He was retired by president Tadić on 31 December 2009.


Political career


Early period

His interest into politics developed while he was reading the newspaper ''Borba'', and during his time at the army in the 1990s, he opposed the regime of Slobodan Milošević. He met Tadić during the early 2000s, with whom he had a discussion regarding the army during their first encounter. During the campaign period for the 2008 elections, Ponoš stated that "frequent elections do not negatively affect army reforms". Shortly after his retirement from the military, he became an assistant to Jeremić. Ponoš previously cooperated with Jeremić during the early 2000s while Jeremić served as an advisor to Tadić. In April 2010, he was a part of the delegation that confirmed the friendship with
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. Ponoš opened an exhibition in June 2011 to promote the history of diplomatic relations between France and Serbia. He continued to work for Jeremić after the change of government in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
. He later became the chief of Jeremić's cabinet while he was the president of the 67th session of the
UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...
. During that time, he resided in New York City. After coming back to Belgrade, Ponoš and Jeremić founded the Center for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (CIRSD). Ponoš held the position of executive director, while Jeremić was elected as president. He later served as senior advisor.


Contemporary career

After his army and diplomatic careers, Ponoš entered politics in 2017, and participated in Jeremić's campaign team during the 2017 presidential election. Jeremić placed fourth, winning 5.65% of the popular vote. Later that year in October, he participated in the foundation of the People's Party. He was elected as vice-president at the first party conference. Ponoš supported the formation of a wider coalition 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 ...
that would be composed of opposition parties. He appeared on the ballot list, which ended up winning 19% of the popular vote. Later that year, he supported the appointment of
Milan Mojsilović Milan Mojsilović ( sr-cyr, Милан Мојсиловић; born 3 August 1967) is the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, having been appointed on 14 September 2018. Military career Mojsilović was born in Kosovska Mitrovica, SF ...
as chief of the General Staff. He was also one of the representatives of the opposition during the protests in 2018 and 2019. In July 2019, he stated his opposition to participating in the 2020 parliamentary election, and called for other parties to boycott. This move was later adopted by 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 ...
, which his party was a part of. He also called for citizens to boycott the parliamentary election. Ponoš was re-elected as vice-president of the People's Party in November 2019. At a party conference in the same month, Ponoš was chosen as the ballot representative for the upcoming Belgrade City Assembly election, although Ponoš later rejected the offer. After boycotting the 2020 election, Ponoš announced that "opposition parties will exert pressure to the government in order to hold the future election under fair conditions". In early 2021, he expressed his support for a joint participation in 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 ...
and for a joint opposition presidential candidate. Ponoš was also one of the participants of the inter-party dialogues on electoral conditions that took place during 2021. Ponoš stepped down as vice-president of the People's Party at its party conference in November 2021.


2022 election

Ponoš stated in early November 2021 that he would run for the presidency if "opposition parties unite themselves at all levels". Jeremić stated that he was surprised by this move, and also stated that the candidate should rather be reached by consensus between opposition parties.
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 ...
, one of the vice-presidents of the People's Party, condemned the attacks that were done by pro-government media and MPs on Ponoš. On 22 January, 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 ...
proposed Ponoš as a joint opposition candidate, while Jeremić stated that his party was ready to back him up. Leaders of the coalition held discussions on 28 and 29 January, after which they concluded their support for Ponoš as presidential candidate. On 2 February, Ponoš was presented as the presidential candidate of 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 ...
coalition. His candidacy was confirmed by the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) on 6 March. Beginning in February, Ponoš had announced his advisors who would cooperate with him if he were to get elected president. During his campaign, Ponoš held rallies in cities and towns across Serbia. He placed second in the presidential election after winning 18% of the popular vote. Ponoš has been a target of attacks by the pro-government media from 2021 and during the 2022 campaign period.


Post-election career

Following his election loss, Ponoš left the People's Party. On 16 June 2022, he announced that he would form a
political organisation A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in politic ...
that would be orientated towards
pro-Europeanism 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 ...
. In July, Ponoš had announced that the organisation would be named Serbia Centre (SRCE). As the president of SRCE, Ponoš criticised President
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 ...
's approach towards foreign policy, most notably regarding the European Union and
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 ...
. Its leadership was elected in December 2022, with Ponoš officially serving as its president. In March 2023, Ponoš announced that Serbia Centre would begin collecting signatures to register as a political party. SRCE was registered as a political party in July 2023. In the
2023 Serbian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 17 December 2023 to elect members of the National Assembly (Serbia), National Assembly. While they were initially scheduled to be held by 30 April 2026, Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serbia ...
, Ponoš was placed 10th on the Serbia Against Violence electoral list. SPN won 65 seats in the National Assembly and thus Ponoš was successfully elected.


Political positions

Ponoš is a self-described
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 ...
, and has stated that his views combine both the centre-left and centre-right. The ''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
'' has described him as a centrist. Observers have described his views as
reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...
, and moderate conservative. He opposes the rule 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 ...
, and has accused
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 ...
of working "in his self-interests". Ponoš has compared Vučić with
Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
and has accused him of "humiliating the state and the army".


Domestic policies

Ponoš has described his political views as a mix of civic and national issues, and has stated his support for
constitutionalism Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional to ...
, and
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
. He has also stated that "
civil partnerships A civil union (also known as a Civil partnership in the United Kingdom, civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. Civi ...
should not be called
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
" and had assessed that "people who live in such a community should receive same rights as everyone else", but he had also emphasised that he is against
LGBT adoption Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children or adults by Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child or adult (stepchild ad ...
. He supports the change of the presidential electoral system to a system in which the president would be elected in a
secret vote The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vot ...
by 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 ...
. Ponoš had stated that, if elected president, he would sign a law that would return confiscated pensions, which was done by the Vučić-led government in 2014. Regarding his views on the army, Ponoš criticised the law on the army which was adopted in 2018, and stated that "the law was made to satisfy the interests of arms dealers and brokers". He has also argued that "instead of 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 ...
s, they should raise salaries for officers in the army", and has accused the government of abusing the police during electoral campaigns. Ponoš has called for the military leadership to resist the use of the army for political purposes, and has accused the government of being made up of "incompetent politicians are playing with the defense system".


Foreign policies

Ponoš is in favour of accession of Serbia to 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 ...
, and during the 2022 campaign period, Ponoš described himself as a "pro-European candidate". He is also supportive of Serbia's membership in the
Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; ) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states; 18 states are ...
and its cooperation with NATO, but is opposed to Serbia joining the military alliance. In 2006, he stated that "the Serbian army should focus on modernization in order to reach the standards of EU and NATO" and that the question regarding NATO should be decided via referendum. In 2017, he stated that Serbia's entry into NATO would be an "irrational and emotionally unacceptable move for generations surviving the trauma of the bombing", and that Serbia should remain militarily neutral. He had accused
Aleksandar Vulin Aleksandar Vulin (born 2 October 1972) is a Serbian politician and lawyer who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia from 2024 to 2025. He served as the director of the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) from 1 December 2022 until 3 Novemb ...
of not respecting
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 ...
. He had previously supported the so-called "four pillars" of Serbian foreign policy, in which he also included
European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...
, Kosovo, and regional cooperation; the "four pillars" of Serbian foreign policy, a term coined by former president Tadić, included
free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...
agreements with the European Union, Russia, United States, and China. Ponoš stated his opposition to the
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 ...
that began on 24 February 2022. In June, Ponoš stated his support for sanctioning Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.


Kosovo question

Ponoš is against the recognition of independence of
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, claiming that the recognition of Kosovo is something that "no democratic government in Serbia can accept" and that the solution for this question will not be brought by the people who incited hatred and war. He has also stated that "it is important that things do not go in the wrong situation, and to slowly normalize life and build trust". He has also stated that "Kosovo is a problem that must be solved...so that any solution is in favor of the citizens who live there". He had also expressed his support for "solving the Kosovo issue", instead of leaving it "frozen and remain as it is". He has criticised the Serb List and Vučić's approach towards Kosovo.


Srebrenica massacre and Ratko Mladić

During an interview in February 2022, Ponoš stated that he once met
Ratko Mladić Ratko Mladić ( sr-Cyrl, Ратко Младић, ; born 12 March 1942) is a Bosnian Serb former military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing war crimes, crim ...
in Knin. Talking about Mladić's involvement in the Srebrenica massacre, Ponoš stated that Mladić's troops "committed brutal crimes" and that "he was responsible for those crimes, but the whole generation or the whole nation should not be responsible for that". He has also stated that he supports the Srebrenica Declaration, which was adopted by the National Assembly in 2010. Ponoš was criticised by the pro-government media in Serbia over his comments.


Personal life

During his youth, Ponoš resided in Zagreb and later married Zdenka, a
Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
woman from
Inđija Inđija (, ) is a town and a municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has total population of 24,450, while the municipality has 43,433 inhabitants. It is located in the geogr ...
. He has one brother, while his father died shortly before
Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...
. His maternal grandfather was mobilised by the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
and died in combat at the
Syrmian Front The Syrmian Front () was an Axis powers, Axis line of defense during World War II. It was established as part of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in late October 1944 in Syrmia and east Slavonia, northwest of Belgrade. After the ...
. He also holds Croatian citizenship. Besides his native
Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
, he also speaks English and Russian. His hobbies include studying history, music, films,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, and
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
s; Ponoš is a fan of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' animated sitcom. Ponoš is also an author of several academic papers, and he served as a supervisory editor of the journal ''Horizons''. The weekly ''Vremе''
news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...
named Ponoš as the person of the year in 2006. Ponoš tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
on 29 March 2020, and was subsequently sent for treatment to the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Belgrade. By 13 April, he tested negative.


Bibliography

* *


References


Primary sources

In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):


External links


Official website

Iza vesti: Gost Zdravko Ponoš (25.11.2021)