Democratic Party of Serbia
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| Democratic Party of Serbia | |
|---|---|
| Demokratska stranka Srbije | |
 |
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| Leader | Vojislav Koštunica |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Pariska 13, Belgrade |
| Political ideology | Conservatism |
| International affiliation | International Democrat Union |
| European affiliation | European People's Party |
| European Parliament group | EPP-ED |
| Colour(s) | Blue |
| Website | www.dss.org.yu |
The Democratic Party of Serbia (Serbian: Демократска странка Србије or Demokratska stranka Srbije ) is the main centre-right political party in Serbia. It is a conservative party.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Foundation
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) was founded when a wing of the Democratic Party (DS) that supported the DS's involvement in DEPOS coalition decided to leave the party and form a new one in the summer of 1992.
The split within DS was initiated much earlier and it had to do with more than just day-to-day political direction. Soon after the bloody anti-Milošević demonstrations of March 9, 1991, significant differences surfaced within DS ranks in regard to the national question in former Yugoslavia. The wing of DS that eventually left to form DSS thought the party needed to take a clear stance on the national question in the former Yugoslavia especially as it relates to the position of Serbian people in it.
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In the atmosphere of what they viewed to be grave manipulation of Serbian national interests by Slobodan Milošević's regime, this wing approached the Serbian position in Yugoslavia neither as question of political democracy nor economic equality but as larger question of Serbian national survival.
The other DS wing basically did not believe a genuine national issue in former Yugoslavia existed and tended to write it off as mere manipulation within local national bureaucracies. The extent of their involvement in such discussion went as far as noting that Serbian nation as the most populous one within the then still existing SFR Yugoslavia has a special responsibility for that country's survival.
The DSS founding assembly was held on July 26, 1992 and Vojislav Koštunica was elected party president. First regular party assembly took place on December 5, 1992, which is when the founding manifesto was adopted, as well as the party program and statute.
[edit] 1992-1999
The first ever elections DSS took part in were the December 1992 parliamentary ones. As part of DEPOS, DSS received 18 seats in the National Assembly of Serbia - a number that grew to 20 after non-party-aligned members of DEPOS decided to leave the Parliament.
Soon, similar differences of opinion over ways in which to fight the Milošević regime as well as approach to national issue that led to division in DS, appeared in DEPOS too. DSS decided to leave the coalition in mid-1993.
Next parliamentary elections in Serbia were called prematurely in late 1993. This time DSS entered alone and got seven seats. This was a period of party's political stagnation as it did not have enough MPs to significantly influence matters in Serbia and it was also left without representation in the Federal Assembly.
In 1996, another opposition bloc coalition -- 'Zajedno' -- was created. DSS entered the 1996 federal parliamentary elections as part of the coalition and won four seats in the Federal Assembly.
[edit] Recent events
The party was a founding member of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia but split from the coalition in late 2001. At the last legislative elections on 28 December 2003, the party won 17.7% of the popular vote, translating into 53 Serbian National Assembly seats (out of 250). Of the mentioned 53 seats, three went to the People's Democratic Party (NDS), one to the Serbian Liberal Party and one to the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS).
In 2004 NDS left coalition with DSS leaving it at 50 seats in the National Assembly. However, in 2005 both the NDS and the SDS merged into the DSS bringing its number in parliament at 52.
Its leader, Vojislav Koštunica, is currently the Prime Minister of Serbia.
