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Dragiša Milović

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Dragiša Milović (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгиша Миловић; born 1957) is a Kosovo Serb politician. He was the mayor of Zvečan, a predominantly Serb community in the disputed territory of Kosovo, from 2002 to 2013, serving as a member of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). In 2021, he was re-elected to the same position as a candidate of the Serb List (SL).

The Serb List began a boycott of the Republic of Kosovo's political institutions in November 2022, and Milović submitted his resignation in Zvečan's assembly at that time.[1]

Private career

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Milović is a medical doctor and orthopedic specialist. He is deputy director of Clinical Hospital Center Kosovska Mitrovica.[2] In August 2023, he said that new supplies of vital medicines had not been received in months due to the Priština government's ban on importing the goods.[3]

Politician

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Serbian National Council and early UNMIK administration (1999–2001)

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Milović was a founding member of the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija in January 1999 and was the first chair of its initiative committee. He said that the council had been formed from the dissatisfaction of Kosovo Serbs with the Serbian government's policies in the province. He was quoted as saying, "We Serbs from Kosovo-Metohija cannot be represented by the so-called Provisional Executive Council [set up by the Belgrade authorities] at the forthcoming [...] negotiations with the Albanians. It seems that the reason for setting it up was to once again surrender Serb land [...] without too much commotion. We do not accept any proposals which restrict the sovereignty and violate the territorial integrity of Serbia."[4]

Serbia lost effective control over most of Kosovo following the 1998–99 Kosovo War, and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was set up as a temporary authority in the province. In 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) organized local elections under the auspices of UNMIK; these were largely boycotted by the Serb community, whose leaders argued that the security situation would not allow Serbs to return to their homes. Acting as a spokesperson for Oliver Ivanović, Milović said that Serbs in northern Kosovo would "[would] not register or take part in the vote until Serbs start returning to Kosovo in bigger numbers."[5]

Milović was vice-president of the Zvečan municipal assembly at this time; the position was equivalent to deputy mayor.[6] In June 2000, both he and Zvečan mayor Desimir Petković were removed from office due to their willingness to negotiate with UNMIK. By 2002, however, Milović had returned to office as deputy mayor.[7] As an ally of Oliver Ivanović, he resigned from the Serbian National Council executive in June 2001 after Ivanović's removal.[8]

Mayor of Zvečan (2002–13)

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The Kosovo Serb community generally participated in the 2002 local elections in northern Kosovo, except in Kosovska Mitrovica. Milović appeared in the lead position on the DSS's electoral list for Zvečan and was elected to the local assembly when the list won five out of seventeen seats.[9][10] No party won a clear victory, and the DSS was able to form a coalition government with Milović as mayor.[11] In a meeting with UNMIK leader Michael Steiner shortly after his election, Milović said that the United Nations mission had failed in its goals. "Even after three and a half years there has been no mass return of Serbs," he said, "while there is no safety and freedom of movement for the remaining Serb population in the province."[12]

In 2004, Milović said that his administration would not accommodate "destabilizing" actions, citing UNMIK's recent decision to turn over municipal police responsibilities to the Kosovo Police without local consultation or approval.[13] In August 2005, he said that parts of Zvečan were experiencing serious water shortages due to the decision of the Priština authorities to withhold necessary water supplies from Serb communities in the north.[14]

At a protest in early 2006, Milović said that "a settlement to the status of Kosovo must be arrived at through compromise, international law and the borders must be respected, there must be no winners and losers."[15] Later in the year, he welcomed the approval of a new Serbian constitution that recognized Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of the country with significant autonomy.[16]

The Serb community in northern Kosovo generally boycotted the 2007 Kosovan local elections, which took place against the backdrop of the province's drive for independence. Milović did not accept the elections as legitimate and was not a candidate. Like most Kosovo Serb politicians, he opposed Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and still considers Kosovo to be a province of Serbia.

The Serbian government organized its own local elections in Kosovo in 2008. Although not recognized internationally, the vote provided de facto legitimacy to the governing authorities in Zvečan and in the neighbouring municipalities of Leposavić, Zubin Potok, and northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The DSS actually finished second against the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in Zvečan, but Milović was able to form a new coalition government with smaller parties and continue in office as mayor.[17][18] The authorities in Priština later organized new local elections in 2009; as in 2007, these were generally boycotted by the Serb community and had no practical effect on the local government of Zvečan.

In June 2009, Milović took part in a protest against the introduction of new customs measures on Kosovo's northern border. He said that Serbs did not oppose paying taxes to Serbia's government but did not want their money to support the Priština authorities. He was quoted as saying, "We want to confirm that the blockade is not aimed at the police or KFOR, only against the customs and that should be clear to everyone."[19]

Milović condemned an attack on an Albanian-owned bakery in Zvečan in 2010, saying, "the Albanians, citizens of our municipality, ten years since the arrival of the UN mission, have had no problems. We insist and urge the police to find those perpetrators."[20]

2011 North Kosovo Crisis

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In July 2011, Kosovo Police crossed into the predominantly Serb municipalities of northern Kosovo, without consulting either Serbia or KFOR/EULEX, in an attempt to assert control over several administrative border crossings. This action precipitated what became known as the North Kosovo crisis, in which members of northern Kosovo's Serb community restricted highway traffic with blockades. Milović was a leader of the community's actions, working alongside fellow mayors Slaviša Ristić of Zubin Potok, Branko Ninić of Leposavić, and Krstimir Pantić of northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

The Belgrade and Priština governments announced a deal in August 2011 that would have seen Kosovo Force continue to guard the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings. Local Serbs objected to a key aspect of the deal, however, and the blockades continued. Addressing a crowd of protesters, Milović said, "We will stay at the barricades because as mayors of northern Kosovo we are obliged to respect the opinion of the local people. We don't want to oppose the Serbian state but we want to respect your decisions."[21] He subsequently joined with Ristić and Pantić to request the removal of Borko Stefanović from the Belgrade–Pristina negotiations in Brussels, arguing that Stefanović did not enjoy the support of the Kosovo Serb community.[22] A December 2011 report in the Serbian paper Blic described Milović as the second-most important figure, after Slaviša Ristić, in coordinating the Serb community's actions; both mayors were described as enjoying support from their electorate that transcended normal party divisions.[23]

The municipalities of Zubin Potok and Zvečan organized new municipal elections in 2012 as the four-year mandates from 2008 were due to expire.[24] The broader diplomatic situation had changed by this time, and the elections were not officially recognized by either Belgrade or Priština.[25] The DSS won in both municipalities, and Ristić and Milović continued as to serve as mayors of their communities.[26] Ultimately, the Serbian government did not overturn the results.[27]

2013 Brussels Agreement

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Milović called for the views of Kosovo Serbs to be taken into account during negotiations for the 2013 Brussels Agreement, saying that the local community could establish an assembly of northern Kosovo if this did not happen.[28] The agreement normalized some aspects of the relationship between Belgrade and Priština without addressing the status of Kosovo; the Serbian government attempted to win local support for the deal, though ultimately both Ristić and Milović opposed it.[29]

The Serbian government dissolved the assemblies of Zvečan and other the three Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo in September 2013, thereby ending Milović's tenure as mayor.[30] Milović did not participate in the 2013 local elections (which were supported by both Belgrade and Priština) due to calls from some members of the community for a boycott.[31] He was quoted as saying, "We cannot participate in elections that were called by the provisional government in Priština which is recognized by neither Kosovo Serbs nor Serbia."[32]

2017 candidacy and return to the mayor's office in 2021

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Notwithstanding Milović's opposition, Kosovo Serbs generally participated in the 2013 local elections. Milović ultimately ended his boycott and was a mayoral candidate in the 2017 local elections, running for his own "For Our Zvečan" party in an alliance with Oliver Ivanović.[33] Milović's car was torched during the campaign.[34] On election day, he lost to incumbent Vučina Janković of the Serb List. He also led the "For Our Zvečan" list for the municipal assembly and was elected when it won five mandates.[35][36] Following Ivanović's assassination by unknown parties in early 2018, Milović gave an interview in which he lamented the power of organized crime in northern Kosovo.[37]

Milović subsequently joined the Serb List and was re-elected as mayor of Zvečan under its banner in the 2021 local elections. His decision to join the governing party was a notable development in the internal politics of the Kosovo Serb community, and it has been suggested that the party effectively co-opted him as a member.[38] In 2021–22, Milović's leadership in Zvečan overlapped with that of Ivan Todosijević, whom the Serbian government recognizes as leader of a provisional authority.[39]

The Serb List began boycotting Priština's institutions in November 2022, against the backdrop of the ongoing North Kosovo crisis. Milović resigned as mayor on 6 November 2022.[40] The Priština government subsequently oversaw new local elections in North Kosovo that were boycotted by the Serb community; members of the local Kosovo Albanian community were formally elected as mayors with very low turnout. In Zvečan, less than three per cent of the eligible population cast a ballot.

In May 2023, Milović acted as a negotiator between Kosovo Force (KFOR) units and Serb residents of Zvečan who were protesting the installation of the new mayor. Violence broke out when KFOR broke up the demonstration; it was reported in Danas that Milović was beaten by KFOR and narrowly escaped arrest.[41] He has continued to play a leading role in the Serb community's protests, calling for a negotiated resolution to the crisis.[42]

Politics at the republic level in Serbia

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Milović appeared in the 107th position on the Democratic Party of Serbia's electoral list in the 2003 Serbian parliamentary election. The list won fifty-three seats, and he was not given a mandate.[43] (From 2000 to 2011, Serbian parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than to individual candidates, and it was common practice for the mandates to be assigned out of numerical order. Milović could have been awarded a seat in the assembly notwithstanding his position on the list, although in fact he was not.)[44] He later appeared in the 201st position on a combined DSS–New Serbia (NS) list in the 2008 parliamentary election and did not receive a seat when the list won thirty mandates.[45]

Serbia's electoral system was reformed in 2011, such that mandates were awarded to candidates on successful lists in numerical order. Milović appeared in the sixty-second position on the DSS list in the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election and was not elected when the list won twenty-one seats.[46] He left the DSS after Vojislav Koštunica retired as leader.

Electoral record

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Local

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2021 Kosovan local elections: Mayor of Zvečan
CandidatePartyVotes%
Dragiša MilovićSerb List5,39498.43
Slađana Pantovićindependent candidate861.57
Total5,480100.00
Source: [47]
2017 Kosovan local elections: Mayor of Zvečan
CandidatePartyVotes%
Vučina Janković (incumbent)Serb List2,86370.59
Dragiša MilovićCivic Initiative "For Our Zvečan"1,19329.41
Total4,056100.00
Source: [48]

References

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  1. ^ "Gradonačelnici i odbornici opština na severu Kosova podneli ostavke", Radio Slobodna Evropa, 6 November 2022, accessed 26 July 2023.
  2. ^ Sandra Cvetković, "Stanovi i radna mesta u predizbornim temama ‘Srpske liste’", Radio Slobodna Evropa, 14 October 2021, accessed 25 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Milovic refutes Hovenier: We have not received medicines or medical supplies for months", Kosovo Online, 17 August 2023, accessed 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Kosovo Serbs set up national council, demand territorial reorganization," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European - Political, 17 January 1999 (Source: Text of report by the Belgrade-based independent Radio B92 on 16th January).
  5. ^ Robert H. Reid, "Serbs adamant in rejecting UN elections until Serbs allowed to return," Associated Press Newswires, 14 July 2000.
  6. ^ "Mesta za sve u Zvečanu", Glas javnosti, 23 December 1999, accessed 25 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Rudari postali trgovci", Glas javnosti, 10 August 2002, accessed 25 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Koncepcijske razlike", Glas javnosti, 8 June 2001, accessed 25 January 2022.
  9. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2002 – Fletëvotimet dhe listat e kandidatëve (Zvečan), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 24 January 2022.
  10. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2002 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 24 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Nema odluke o produženju mandata", Politika, 9 June 2008, accessed. 25 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Kosovo Serbs tell UN Security Council delegation UNMIK mission 'unsuccessful'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 17 December 2002 (Source: Text of report in English by Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug).
  13. ^ "Serbs in northern town threaten to halt UN transfer of powers to Kosovo police," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 1 December 2004 (Source: Text of report by Serbia-Montenegrin radio Kontakt Plus on 1 December).
  14. ^ "Water supply situation in northern Kosovo town 'dramatic' - local Serb official," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 3 August 2005 (Source: Excerpt from report by Serbia-Montenegrin radio Kontakt Plus on 3 August).
  15. ^ "Kosovo Serbs stage peaceful protests to mark anniversary of Albanian violence," HINA, 17 March 2006.
  16. ^ "Kosovo Serb politicians hail new Serbian constitution, passers-by rejoice," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 31 October 2006 (Source: Text of report by Serbia-Montenegrin radio Kontakt Plus on 30 October).
  17. ^ Информације о одржаним седницама 2008. године – 15. мај 2008. године, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 26 April 2017. The Government of Kosovo avoided a confrontation over the local government of Zvečan by formally extending Milović's mandate, a decision that he rejected as irrelevant. See "North Kosovo Serb mayors reject extension of mandate by government," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 7 July 2008 (Text of report by Kosovo-Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express, on 5 July).
  18. ^ "Kosovo Serb mayor allows four Albanian families to resume homes reconstruction," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 9 September 2009 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 9 September).
  19. ^ Kosovo Serbs block road in protest over introduction of customs measures," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 25 June 2009 (Source: Text of report in English by Serbian pro-western Belgrade-based Radio B92 website, on 25 June).
  20. ^ "Kosovo Serb mayor condemns arson attack against local Albanian-owned bakery," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 1 November 2010 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovska Mitrovica-based Serbian-language Kontakt Plus radio).
  21. ^ "Kosovo, Serbia reach border deal, local Serbs object," Reuters News, 5 August 2011.
  22. ^ "Kosovo Serb mayors call for ouster of Serbian negotiator in Brussels talks," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 September 2011 (Source: Text of report by Serbian newspaper Vecernje novosti website on 6 September).
  23. ^ "Serbian paper views role of Kosovo Serb mayors in organizing roadblocks," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 4 December 2011 (Source: Text of report by Serbian privately-owned independent daily Blic, on 2 December).
  24. ^ It was unnecessary to organize elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica or Leposavić, as new elections had already been held in those communities since 2008. See L. Valtner, "Neće biti izbora u Mitrovici i Leposaviću", Danas, 4 March 2012, accessed 23 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Zubin Potok i Zvečan: Izborni procesi u punom jeku", Radio Television of Vojvodina, 24 April 2012, accessed 23 January 2022.
  26. ^ For Milović continuing as mayor, see "Dragiša Milović ponovo predsednik opštine Zvečan", Radio Television of Vojvodina, 11 June 2012, accessed 25 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Konstitutivne sednice opština Zvečan i Zubin Potok", Radio KiM, 30 May 2012, accessed 23 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Serbian MPs consider setting up Serb assembly of North Kosovo," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 20 March 2013 (Source: Text of report by Serbian public broadcaster RTS Radio Belgrade, on 19 March).
  29. ^ "Kosovo Serbs reject Brussels accord despite Serbian deputy premier's visit," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 May 2013 (Source: Text of report by Bosnia-based Al-Jazeera Balkans TV on 13 May).
  30. ^ B. Radomirivić, "Vlada raspustila skupštine opština na severu Kosova", Politika, 10 September 2013, accessed 23 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Kosovo Serbs seen in 'total confusion' about upcoming polls," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 7 September 2013 (Source: Text of report by Serbian newspaper Politika website on 5 September).
  32. ^ "Serbian officials said to visit Kosovo, urge Serbs to vote," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 11 October 2013 (Source: Text of report by Serbian newspaper Vecernje novosti website on 10 October).
  33. ^ "Serbian president hails Kosovo election result," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 October 2017 (Source: Text of report by Serbian newspaper Politika website on 23 October).
  34. ^ "Izgoreo automobil bivšeg predsednika opštine Zvečan", B92, 26 July 2017, accessed 25 January 2022.
  35. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2017 – Rezultatet e kandidatëve sipas subjekteve të renditur sipas numrit të votave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 269, accessed 20 January 2022.
  36. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDE KOMUNALE 2017 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e subjekteve sipas komunave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 32, accessed 20 January 2022.
  37. ^ Daniel McLaughlin, "Fear continues to grow as murder and mafia shake Serbs in divided Kosovo," The Irish Times, 10 February 2018.
  38. ^ Jelena Tasić, "'Jedva se spasio hapšenja': Ko je Dragiša Milović pregovarač koga su pretukli pripadnici KFOR-a", Danas, 30 May 2023, accessed 26 July 2023.
  39. ^ ИВАН ТОДОСИЈЕВИЋ, Opština Zvečan [Serbian government website], accessed 31 January 2022.
  40. ^ "Gradonačelnici i odbornici opština na severu Kosova podneli ostavke", Radio Slobodna Evropa, 6 November 2022, accessed 26 July 2023.
  41. ^ Jelena Tasić, "'Jedva se spasio hapšenja': Ko je Dragiša Milović pregovarač koga su pretukli pripadnici KFOR-a", Danas, 30 May 2023, accessed 26 July 2023.
  42. ^ "Milovic: Is there an end to Pristina’s terror; the happiness of one nation cannot be built on the misfortune of another", Kosovo Online, 19 June 2023, accessed 26 July 2023.
  43. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 28. децембра 2003. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (3. ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА СРБИЈЕ - ВОЈИСЛАВ КОШТУНИЦА), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 July 2021.
  44. ^ Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017.
  45. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (3 Демократска Странка Србије - Нова Србија - Војислав Коштуница), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 2 July 2021.
  46. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (6 ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА СРБИЈЕ - ВОЈИСЛАВ КОШТУНИЦА), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 28 September 2021.
  47. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2021 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parë) – Rezultatet për Kryetar të Komunave, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 30, accessed 12 January 2022.
  48. ^ ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2017 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parë) – Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 30, accessed 12 January 2022.
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