Portraits Of Three Serbian Premier Candidates

While the results of fateful elections in Serbia are awaited, we bring you portraits of three most serious premier candidates

During the election campaign they conflicted severely, but at least two of them will have to collaborate after the elections. It is will most likely be Vojislav Kostunica and Boris Tadic, who up until now as well, as prime minister and president, have had to find a common tongue. Still, the question is who will be the more powerful partner in the division of autority. And there is an ongoing threat of the Serbian Radical Party. But, even with him, the two candidates have something in common, populism. There is rarely a politician in Serbia, but in the world also, who is free of this political “disease”. Still, one exists in Serbia. Although he has no chances of winning according to the election research, Cedomir Jovanovic is a favourite of the west but of the neighbours as well. At the same time, he is the most intense opposition for the man whom the west nor the neighbouring countries wish to see in the prime minister seat, radical Tomislav Nikolic.

Toma the Grobar (Grave Digger)

Head of the Serbian Radical Party Tomislav Nikolic came into politics just at the age of 38. He spent his entire career in the shadows, so many will say how “another man” is the most powerful in Serbian politics. As an icon, war criminal Vojislav Seselj always remains in the front view for the Radicals, which provides Nikolic with an excellent shield.

Still, the man who was given the nick-name Grave Digger by his opponents, has managed to rule the radicals and cut down Seselj`s role to sheer symbolism. Analysts will say Nikolic is a man with whom you do not need to agree, but who is respected by everyone. However he keeps the creed of the radical`s ultranationalism, he manages to keep the balance right.

“He is a pragmatist within the nationalists. He has a feeling for political communication. By vocation, unlike Kostunica and Tadic, he was not anticipated to have a political career. The radicals managed to use Seselj`s heritage in the best way possible. Unlike other parties, they understood the fight for his heritage would bring on the weakening of the party. And Nikolic, in spite of his appreciation and respect for Seselj, leads pragmatic politics”, said Zoran Stojiljkovic, professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Political Science.

Chetnik duke in Slavonia?

Tomislav Nikolic was born in Kragujevac on the 15^th February 1952. He went to school to become a construction technician and worked in the construction company “Zegrap”. He was in charge for the construction of the Belgrade-Bar railway line.

He spent his political career with the radicals. He always stressed how his loathing of communism and communists prevented him from entering politics earlier. He spent two months in the Gnjilan prison together with Seselj during the rule of Slobodan Milosevic. Still, not even his loathing of communists did not stop him to get into the government as the vice-president in a coalition with the Milosevic socialists.

But, before his political career, Nikolic established a war one. He participated in the aggression on Croatia, combating in the paramilitary formations which were sent to Slavonia by Vojislav Seselj. Due to “courage” shown on the battle field, Seselj awarded him with the rank of Chetnik duke.

Tomislav Nikolic`s war crime

A shadow was cast on Nikolic`s war path by Natasa Kandic, Serbian activist for human rights, who claims Nikolic took part in killings of civilians in the Antin village, near Vinkovci in Croatia. He denied these claims, saying how none of the civilians were hurt while he was in Antin.

Severe and offensive

“Grave Digger`s” parliamentary appearances were remembered as offensive and severe. He is a member of parliament with the biggest number of warnings, and his objections towards the assassinated prime minister Zoran Djindjic and the also assassinated opposition journalist Slak Curuvija were especially remembered

Shortly before the assassination of Djindjic, the current prime minister was walking around with a cane because of a football injury. Nikolic commented on that saying how Tito had problems with his leg, not long before his death. Although many believe this statement was not accidental, Nikolic later on claimed he was sorry about that statement and how he never would have said such a thing if he had known what would happen.

Still, he never wanted to apologise or take back the statement in which he commented on the murder of the opposition journalist Slavko Curuvija. He declared he was glad about Curuvija`s death.

Boris Tadic, Serbian Kennedy

Unlike Nikolic, almost everyone would bet Boris Tadic would establish a political career. He comes from a family of intellectuals. His father Ljubo Tadic is an acknowledged Serbian academic. By vocation, Tadic is a psychologist, and by political image, charming, while malicious analysts say without something to back it up.

“Tadic is close to the urban part of the population. He has an intellectual background. His virtue is capacity for coalitions. He is prepared to make compromises and knows how to reconcile even the irreconcilable. His modern, marketing way of running a campaign is embroidered with charm. Still, Serbia in not used to such marketing and sees his flexibility as futility in the political programme. Malicious people say how Tadic is marketing without vision, said professor Stojiljkovic.

Already beated Nikolic

Before he became the President of Serbia, Tadic has already performed several state duties. He was a Minister of Telecommunications in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Government, after which he was the Defence Minister in the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro. A year after the assassination of Zoran Djindjic he was named the president of the Democratic Party.

In the first round of presidential elections in 2004 he won 27.3% of votes. In the second round he ran against the radical Tomislav Nikolic. He won with 53.24% of the votes.

President Tadic

As president, Tadic had limited authorisation. Thereby, it is not surprising he was noticed at a symbolic level. He was the first Serbian chief of state to officially meet the Pope.

He raised the Serbian flag near the United Nations building in New York, after which Serbia and Montenegro separated into two countries. He was also the first president to visit the independent Montenegro where he expressed his desire for co-operation of friendship among the two countries.

Assassination on Tadic

Tadic`s car entourage found itself in an unenviable situation on the 1st of December 2004. Miroslav Cimpl, USA Embassy employee refused to move for the car entourage. He even rammed his car several times into the vehicles. This incident reminded Serbia of the assassination attempt on Zoran Djindjic, when a member of the Zemun clan tried to kill Djindjic by ramming a truck into his car.

Kostunica the Voja Kalasnjikov

It was often said about Vojislav Kostunica he was a nationalist in a democrate`s skin. He demonstrated both sides of his politics frequently. Still, it can be said about him, as well as his other two opposing candidates, that he is without a doubt a pragmatist and a populist. Although he took a note how Serbia will not easily accept Montenegro`s departure from the common state, when it actually came to that, he did not offend. And he never declared he would accept the loss of Kosovo, but reality often made Kostunica consess. Professor Zoran Stojiljkovic said how Kostunica was the ideal representative of the Serbian political centre, which has for years been moved to the right.

“Kostunica is the average speed of Serbian changes. He is the middle ground between fast reformists in the Democratic Party and radical nationalism of the Serbian Radical Party. In his work so far, Prime Minister Kostunica has been a successful realistic politician. He has managed to sustain the reform course but he has not managed to increase the speed of those reforms. It is questionable how much is his base vision able to keep the balance right, especially when it comes to Kosovo, and for Serbia very likely unfavourable negotiations results. Lately, many compare him with Nikola Pasic. They are alike when it comes to their tendency to wait and protract the solution of issues. This sort of an attitude might do him harm soon” said professor Stojiljkovic.

He beat Milosevic

Vojislav Kostunica was born on the 24^th of March 1944. He graduated law from the Belgrade Faculty of Law, where he, with the Institute of Social Science, achieved an academic career. He published works in the Constitutional law field, political theory and Philosophy.

On the 24^th November 2000 he beat Slobodan Milosevic at the presidential elections of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. Still, Milosevic did not surrender without a fight. He demanded another round of elections which caused the people`s reaction and they took to the streets of Belgrade. The movement known as “The resistance” overran the Federal Parliament, TV Belgrade, political daily Politika etc. and forced Milosevic to retreat.

Kostunica himself says he did not candidate against Milosevic because he wanted to, but because he had to. Opposition research of public opinion, namely, showed how Kostunica was doing better than any other candidate, and his running was insured.

Kostunica linked to the Djindjic assassination

Vice-president in the Zoran Djindjic government, Cedomir Jovanovic was a witness at the trial of Djindjic`s assassins and pointed out how Vojislav Kostunica was responsible for his murder. According to some witnesses, the current Kostunica opposing candidate, Cedo Jovanovic, advocated for the arrest of Vojislav Kostunica after the assassination on Djindjic. Kostunica himself refuses any sort of connection with the former prime minister`s murder.

He remained the president of SR Yugoslavia until February 2003. After outstanding parliamentary elections in 2003, he became Serbian Government President and has greeted today`s elections at that post.

Voja Kalasnjikov

The nick-name “Kalasnjikov” follows Vojislav Kostunica because of a photograph which shows him standing in the Serbian position from which Sarajevo was fired at, with the Kalashnikov in his hand. He then resorted Serbian positions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and neighbours, especially Bosnians and Sarajevo citizens cannot forgive him for this photograph.

Kostunica was then in the company of his namesake Seselj, war criminal who is facing a sentence in Hague. To make things even worse, Voja Kalasnjikov then affirmed his support of BH aggression with words: “This is an example how future Serbian border should be. I am encouraged by morale and determination of our fighters not to back down.”