1996 Serbian local elections

Local elections were held in Serbia over two rounds on 3 November and 17 November 1996, concurrently with the 1996 Vojvodina provincial election; the first day of voting also coincided with the 1996 Yugoslavian parliamentary election and the 1996 Montenegrin parliamentary election. This was the third local electoral cycle held while Serbia was a member of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the last time that Serbia oversaw local elections throughout Kosovo and Metohija until its controversial decision to hold elections in 2008.

Delegates to city and municipal assemblies were elected in single-member constituencies. If no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting, the top two candidates would take part in a runoff vote in the second round.

Campaign and aftermath
The elections took place during the time of Slobodan Milošević's authoritarian rule as president of Serbia. In most major jurisdictions, Milošević's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) ran in an alliance with the Yugoslav Left (JUL) and New Democracy (ND).

The main opposition grouping was the Zajedno alliance, which was formed in September 1996 by the Democratic Party (DS), the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), and the Civic Alliance of Serbia (GSS). The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) participated in the Zajedno alliance in some jurisdictions, including Kragujevac, Pančevo, Smederevo, and Čačak, and contested other areas, such as Belgrade on its own. The far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS) contested the election on its own, directing its attacks on both Milošević and Zajedno.

The election results were marked by weeks of controversy. Zajedno claimed success in several major jurisdictions, but in most instances the SPS did not accept defeat and the local election commissions (often controlled by allies of Milošević) refused to certify the opposition's victories. In Belgrade, the election commission invalidated the results in thirty-three constituencies won by Zajedno and called a third round of voting for 27 November. The Zajedno parties boycotted the third round, charging abuse of process. These events led to the 1996–1997 protests in Serbia, in which student and opposition groups held a series of non-violent street rallies against the Milošević regime.

Milošević and his allies held a counter-rally in Belgrade on 24 December 1996 that drew only sixty thousand attendees (many of whom had been brought in from rural areas) against three hundred thousand opposition protesters. Three days later, a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ruled that the opposition had indeed won several of the disputed elections, including in Belgrade, Niš, Pančevo, and Zrenjanin. The Serbian government began to soften its position, accepting the opposition's victory in Niš on 8 January 1997. The Belgrade election commission announced on 17 January that Zajedno had won the elections. The government initially refused to accept this ruling, but on 13 February (following police attacks on the opposition demonstrators that were condemned internationally) the Serbian parliament approved a lex specialis that affirmed almost all of the victories claimed by Zajedno. The protests wound down after this time, and the Zajedno coalition took power in Belgrade and several other cities.

Ultimately, the parties in Zajedno were not able to remain united at the republic level, and the coalition fell apart in Belgrade before the year was over. In some jurisdictions, including Novi Sad, the Zajedno parties were able to maintain their alliance until the next local election cycle in 2000.

Results
Unless otherwise noted, vote totals and percentages refer to the results in the first round of voting.

Belgrade
Elections were held at the city level and in all of Belgrade's constituent municipalities. The Zajedno alliance won a majority victory in the city, as well as winning control of most municipal assemblies. The Socialists won a smaller number of victories, mostly in the city's outer suburbs, while the Radicals won control of Zemun.

City of Belgrade
Results of the election for the City Assembly of Belgrade:

DS leader Zoran Đinđić was chosen as mayor on 21 February 1997, by a vote of sixty-eight to twenty-four among the city assembly's delegates. There were sixteen abstentions and one delegate was absent. Zajedno gained another seat shortly after the election, when DSS delegate Aleksandra Joksimović joined the DS.

The SPO left the Zajedno alliance later in the year. Đinđić was dismissed as mayor on 30 September 1997, via an SPO motion that was supported by the SPS and SRS. Sixty-seven of the sixty-eight delegates present voted for Đinđić 's dismissal; the other delegate abstained. The non-SPO members of Zajedno boycotted this sitting of the assembly on the grounds that it had been improperly constituted. Milan Božić of the SPO became the city's acting mayor, and the SPO held all of the major positions in the city government with the informal support of the SPS and SRS. Božić was the acting mayor for almost a year and a half before Vojislav Mihailović, also of the SPO, was voted to the position by the assembly in January 1999.

Barajevo
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Barajevo:

Milan Damnjanović of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Čukarica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Čukarica:

Zoran Alimpić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Grocka
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Grocka:

Incumbent mayor Milan Janković of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Lazarevac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Lazarevac:

Živko Živković of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Mladenovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Mladenovac:

Predrag Čokić of Zajedno was chosen as mayor after the election, by a vote of 28 to 27. This was one of two municipalities where the lex specialis did not recognize a victory claimed by Zajedno, although the coalition managed to form government in any event.

New Belgrade
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of New Belgrade:

Incumbent mayor Čedomir Ždrnja of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election. This was one of two municipalities where the lex specialis did not recognize a victory claimed by Zajedno.

Obrenovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Obrenovac:

Palilula
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Palilula:

Gordana Tomić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Rakovica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Rakovica:

Predrag Dokmanović of the Serbian Renewal Movement was chosen as mayor after the election.

Savski Venac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Savski Venac:

Zdravko Krstić of the Serbian Renewal Movement was chosen as mayor after the election.

Sopot
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Sopot:

Incumbent mayor Živorad Milosavljević of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Stari Grad
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Stari Grad:

Incumbent mayor Jovan Kažić of the Serbian Renewal Movement was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Voždovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Voždovac:

Nebojša Atanacković of the Serbian Renewal Movement was chosen as mayor after the election.

Vračar
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vračar:

Milena Milošević of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Zemun
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zemun:

Radical Party leader Vojislav Šešelj was chosen as mayor after the election. He was replaced in 1998 by Stevo Dragišić.

Zvezdara
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zvezdara:

Vučeta Mandić of Zajedno was chosen as mayor after the election.

South Bačka District
Elections were held in all twelve municipalities of the South Bačka District. The Zajedno alliance won a convincing victory in Novi Sad, while the Socialist Party and Yugoslav Left won a number of the neighbouring jurisdictions. Independent candidates won a majority of seats in Bački Petrovac, and the Radical Party won the greatest number of seats in Temerin.

Novi Sad
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Novi Sad:

Mihajlo Svilar of the Serbian Renewal Movement was chosen as mayor after the election. He was replaced on 18 June 1997 by fellow SPO member Stevan Vrbaški. Gordana Čomić of the Democratic Party served on Novi Sad's executive committee in 1997.

Bač
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bač:

Bačka Palanka
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bačka Palanka:

Bački Petrovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bački Petrovac:

Incumbent mayor Juraj Červenak was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Bečej
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bečej:

Incumbent mayor Endre Husag of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Beočin
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Beočin:

Srbobran
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Srbobran:

Sremski Karlovci
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Sremski Karlovci:

Temerin
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Temerin:

Titel
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Titel:

Vrbas
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vrbas:

Žabalj
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Žabalj:

Đorđe Đukić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Nišava District
Local elections were held in the one city (Niš) and the six other municipalities of the Nišava District. Following the opposition protests, it was recognized that the Zajedno alliance won a majority of seats in the election for the City Assembly of Niš. The Socialist Party won majority victories in all six of the smaller communities.

Niš
Results of the election for the City Assembly of Niš:

Zoran Živković of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. Zoran Krasić ran as a Radical Party candidate and was the party's presumptive nominee for mayor; he was not elected to the assembly.

Aleksinac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aleksinac:

Slobodan Stevanović of the Socialist Party served as mayor after the election.

Doljevac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Doljevac:

Incumbent mayor Aleksandar Cvetković of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Gadžin Han
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Gadžin Han:

Incumbent mayor Siniša Stamenković of the Socialist Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Merošina
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Merošina:

Ražanj
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Ražanj:

Svrljig
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Svrljig:

Šumadija District
Elections were held in all seven municipalities of the Šumadija District. The Zajedno coalition won in the city of Kragujevac and also in the municipality of Lapovo. The Socialist Party won majority victories in four of the other municipalities; in Batočina, the Yugoslav Left formed a minority administration with the support of the Socialists and some independent delegates.

Kragujevac
Results of the election for the City Assembly of Kragujevac:

The Milošević government did not contest the opposition's victory in Kragujevac. Veroljub Stevanović of the Serbian Renewal Movement became mayor after the election. The Zajedno government in the city remained together for the full term that followed.

Aranđelovac
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aranđelovac:

Batočina
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Batočina:

Slobodan Živulović of the Yugoslav Left served as mayor after the election.

Knić
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Knić:

Lapovo
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Lapovo:

Dragan Zlatković of the Serbian Renewal Movement served as mayor after the election. Future parliamentarian Mirko Čikiriz, also of the Serbian Renewal Movement, served as secretary of the municipal assembly and the municipal administration in 1997–98.

Rača
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Rača:

Topola
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Topola:

Incumbent mayor Žarko Jovanović of the Socialist Party of Serbia was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Kosovo and Metohija
The elections in Kosovo and Metohija were largely boycotted by members of the Kosovo Albanian community, which had set up parallel governing institutions in the province called the Republic of Kosova in 1991.

Kosovska Mitrovica District
Local elections were held in all six municipalities of the Kosovska Mitrovica District. The Socialist Party won majority victories in all jurisdictions except Zvečan, where no party won a majority and an incumbent from the opposition was confirmed in office for another term.

Kosovska Mitrovica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Kosovska Mitrovica:

Nikola Radović, presumably of the Socialist Party of Serbia, served as mayor after the election.

After the Kosovo War, Kosovska Mitrovica became divided between the predominantly Serb north and the predominantly Albanian south. The Serbian government continued to recognize Radović as mayor of the city until 2002, his mandate having been formally extended. In practice, Oliver Ivanović of the Serbian National Council (SNV), a parallel authority within the Serb community, was the de facto leader of northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the immediate post-war period.

From 1999 to 2001, Ivanović was both the president of the SNV's executive council and the leader of its municipal board in Kosovska Mitrovica. He was dismissed from the former position by hardline elements in June 2001 and afterward left the SNV entirely. Nebojša Jović succeeded him as the SNV's municipal leader in Kosovska Mitrovica, but Jović did not have the same standing in the community and did not inherit Ivanović's leadership role more generally.

Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Bajram Rexhepi as mayor of the city in mid-1999. He was the de facto leader of its predominantly Albanian southern half, which was beyond the control of Serbian authorities. Rexhepi was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

There was significant turnover among United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) personnel in Kosovska Mitrovica in the immediate post-war period. Onelia Cardettini became the city's first UNMIK municipal administrator in 1999 but had stood down by early 2000. Online sources do not indicate if the position was filled immediately after her departure, and in practice UNMIK's successive district coordinators seem to have taken the lead role in administering the city.

By 2002, John Rogers had been appointed as UNMIK's municipal administrator for Kosovska Mitrovica. In November of that year, the Serbian government made an agreement for the northern part of the city to be administered directly by UNMIK with assistance from an advisory council composed of local political representatives and chaired by Rogers. Nikola Radović, still recognized as mayor of the city by Serbia, gave his support to the initiative. The board held its first meeting on 30 May 2003, by which time Rogers had been replaced by Minna Järvenpää. In August 2003, Serb representatives announced a boycott of the council over what they described as Järvenpää's arbitrary decisions. Her term as administrator ended in early 2004.

Online sources do not indicate who, if anyone, chaired the advisory council between 2004 and 2006, when Serb politician Srboljub Milenković of the Democratic Party was appointed to the role.

Leposavić
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Leposavić:

Dragan Jablanović of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election and served until the beginning of 2001. Leposavić remained under de facto Serbian authority after the Kosovo War.

A branch of the Serbian National Council was established in Leposavić after the Kosovo War as a parallel authority within the Serb community, and Nenad Radosavljević of New Democracy was chosen as its first leader. There is contradictory information as to the length of his tenure: one source indicates that he served from 1999 to 2001, while another claims he was removed from office by hardline elements in July 2000 after expressing a willingness to participate in new municipal elections organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In any event, Velimir Bojović of the Democratic Party of Serbia had become the leader of the local SNV by 2001.

Online sources do not indicate the name of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) representative in Leposavić in the immediate post-war period.

Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE, and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Leposavić) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors. Despite objections from some in the community, the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Nenad Radosavljević became mayor in Leposavić but stood down in 2001. Online sources do not indicate if anyone was formally appointed as his successor; Nebojša Radulović served as deputy mayor and may also have been acting mayor.

The Serb community of Leposavić generally participated in the 2002 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE.

Srbica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Srbica:

Sima Simić, presumably of the Socialist Party, was chosen as mayor after the election. Slavica Jeradić was president of the assembly's executive board.

Serbia lost control of Srbica after the Kosovo War, and most of the area's Serb population fled the area (although the villages of Suvo Grlo and Banje ultimately remained as Serb communities). Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Ramadan Dobra as mayor in mid-1999. Dobra was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Ken Inoue was appointed by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as municipal administrator in August 1999, and in the following month he formally appointed Dobra as president of the municipal board. Due to ongoing complaints about the PPDK's dominance in the local government, Inoue also appointed Fadil Geci of the rival Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) as second deputy president in February 2000. Inoue served as municipal administrator until 2001.

An August 2000 report in the Christian Science Monitor noted that former KLA soldiers affiliated with the PDK exercised "virtual complete control" over the area.

Vučitrn
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vučitrn:

Slobodan Doknić, presumably of the Socialist Party, served as mayor after the election.

Serbia lost control of Vučitrn after the Kosovo War, and many of the municipality's Serbs fled the area. Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi's self-styled government of Kosovo appointed Xhemajl Pllana as mayor of the municipality in mid-1999. Pllana was a founding member of the Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo (PPDK) in October 1999; this party later became the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Denny Lane was appointed as municipal administrator by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in October 1999, and after arriving he formalized Pllana's role as interim mayor. Lane served as municipal administrator until 2001.

Zubin Potok
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zubin Potok:

Srđan Vulović of the Socialist Party of Serbia served as mayor in the term that followed. Zubin Potok remained under de facto Serbian authority after the Kosovo War.

A branch of the Serbian National Council was established in Zubin Potok following the Kosovo War as a parallel authority within the Serb community. Slaviša Ristić of the Democratic Party of Serbia was its leader.

Guy Sands-Pingot was appointed by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as municipal administrator in the immediate post-war period.

Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Zubin Potok) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors. Despite objections from some in the community, the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Slaviša Ristić was chosen as mayor in Zubin Potok.

The Serb community of Zubin Potok generally participated in the 2002 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the OSCE.

Zvečan
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zvečan:

Incumbent mayor Desimir Petković, an opponent of Milošević's rule, was confirmed for another term in office after the election. He was removed from office in June 2000 and replaced by Miomira Ignjatović. Zvečan remained under de facto Serbian authority after the Kosovo War.

The Serbian National Council emerged as a parallel authority within the Serb community in 1999, and its leading members included prominent Zvečan residents such as Milan Ivanović. Online accounts do not indicate who, if anyone, led its Zvečan municipal committee. Milan Ivanović ultimately transformed the Serbian National Council into a political party and became its leader in the municipality.

Online sources do not indicate the name of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) representative in Zvečan in the immediate post-war period.

Kosovo's Serb community generally boycotted the 2000 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the results in three predominantly Serb northern communities (including Zvečan) were not certified due to low turnout. After the vote, UNMIK directly appointed representatives of the local Serb communities to municipal assemblies in these communities, and these assemblies in turn selected new mayors. Despite objections from some in the community, the assemblies ultimately provided functional local governments. Desimir Petković was once again chosen as mayor of Zvečan.

The Serb community of Zvečan generally participated in the 2002 Kosovan local elections overseen by UNMIK and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Peć District
Local elections were held in all five municipalities of the Peć District. The Socialist Party of Serbia won majority victories in all jurisdictions.

Peć
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Peć:

Note: In the vast majority of Peć's electoral divisions, candidates of the Socialist Party of Serbia were elected without opposition. Only four Zajedno candidates and one Yugoslav Left candidate contested the election.

Miladin Ivanović of the Socialist Party of Serbia served as mayor after the election. He died of natural causes on 13 March 1999, just before the beginning of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, and was succeeded by Dragomir Popović, who was presumably also from the Socialist Party.

Following the Kosovo War, Serbia lost effective control over most of Peć, and most of the Serb population fled the area with the enclave of Goraždevac remaining a predominantly Serb community. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) appointed Ethem Çeku as mayor of the municipality in June 1999. Later in 1999, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Jose Manuel Sucre as municipal administrator, and Çeku was reassigned as chair of the municipal council. Çeku later joined the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK). Sucre remained in office as municipal administrator until early 2001.

Dečani
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Dečani:

Only fourteen candidates contested the election. Thirteen were from the Socialist Party of Serbia–Yugoslav Left alliance, and one was from the Zajedno opposition. Milivoje Đurković of the Socialist Party was chosen as mayor after the election.

Serbia lost control over Dečani after the Kosovo War, and almost all of the area's Serbs fled the area. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) appointed Ibrahim Selmanaj as mayor of the municipality in June 1999. Later in the year, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Helinä Kokkarinen as municipal administrator. Online sources do not indicate if Selmanaj also continued to exercise local authority after this time. Selmanaj, in any event, later joined the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

Đakovica
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Đakovica:

Momčilo Stanojević of the Socialist Party of Serbia was chosen as mayor after the election.

Virtually all of Đakovica's formerly significant Serb community fled the municipality after the Kosovo War. In June 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) appointed Mazllom Kumnova as the municipality's mayor. Kumnova later joined the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Zamira Eshmambetova as municipal administrator later in 1999, although in practice she had little authority. More so than in other communities, ex-KLA officials remained in control of the local government in the buildup to the 2000 Kosovan local elections.

Istok
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Istok:

Incumbent mayor Mališa Perović of the Socialist Party of Serbia was confirmed for another term in office after the election.

Virtually all of Istok's Serb community fled the municipality after the Kosovo War. In June 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) appointed Januz Januzaj as the municipality's mayor. He later joined the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Martin Dvořák as municipal administrator later in 1999, although Januzaj continued to serve as interim mayor pending new elections.

Klina
Results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Klina:

Sveto Dabižljević, presumably of the Socialist Party of Serbia, served as mayor after the election.

Almost all of Klina's Serb population fled the municipality after the Kosovo War. In June 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) appointed Gani Veseli as the municipality's mayor. He later joined the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) appointed Emilio Castaneda as municipal administrator later in 1999. Ramadan Krasniqi was appointed as chair of the municipal council at around the same time. Online sources do not indicate if Veseli continued in government. Krasniqi also later joined the PDK.