Bosnian Serb political party
The
Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
(
Serbian
:
Савез независних соци?алдемократа
,
romanized
:
Savez nezavisnih socijaldemokrata
; abbr. СНСД or
SNSD
) is a
Serb
political party in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
. Founded in 1996, it is the governing party in
Republika Srpska
, with its leader,
Milorad Dodik
, serving as the current
president of Republika Srpska
. The party's vice-president,
?eljka Cvijanovi?
, is the current member of the
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, while SNSD member
Radovan Vi?kovi?
is the current
prime minister of Republika Srpska
.
The creation of the SNSD can be traced back to the Independent Members of Parliament Group, which eventually grew to become the
Party of Independent Social Democrats
. During this time, the party served as the only opposition to the dominance of the
ultra-nationalist
Serb Democratic Party
(SDS), which was led by
Radovan Karad?i?
for the majority of the 1990s. The SNSD was seen as a moderate and non-extremist alternative to the SDS, with many of its members, including Milorad Dodik, being part of the former non-nationalist and multi-ethnic
Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia
.
The SNSD's first real electoral success was recorded in 2006, where it won 41 of the 83 seats in the
National Assembly of Republika Srpska
, attracting 44.95% of the popular vote. Since then, the party has gradually abandoned its reformist ideology for a more assertive advocacy of
Serbian nationalism
, threatening the
secession of Republika Srpska
from the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina numerous times.
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
This has also led to the party being expelled from the
Socialist International
in 2012 for "continuing to espouse a nationalist and extremist line".
[13]
[14]
History
[
edit
]
1991?1996
[
edit
]
The party grew out of the Independent Members of Parliament Caucus (IMPC), known as "the club", of the
National Assembly of Republika Srpska
(NSRS) in 1996.
The club was in opposition to the
Serb Democratic Party
(SDS) during the
Bosnian War
(1992?96).
The IMPC was established from the caucus of
ethnic Serb
members of the Parliament of the
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
elected in 1990 from the election list of the
Union of Reform Forces
.
[
citation needed
]
The Serb members of the Parliament of
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
, the majority of the
Serb Democratic Party
(SDS), including the members of the IMPC, established the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 October 1991 (later renamed National Assembly of the Republika Srpska), following the majority of the parliament (mostly
Croats
and
Bosniaks
) approved the "Memorandum on Sovereignty" on 15 October 1991. In 1992, the Bosnian parliament held
an independence referendum
which led to the declaration of the
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
The absolute majority of the newly founded NSRS was from the SDS. The IMPC was the only parliamentary opposition from the founding of the National Assembly through the first post-war
elections in September 1996
. The Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) participated in the elections in the "Union for Peace and Progress" coalition along with the
Socialist Party of RS
(SPRS) and a minor party.
The club and later party (SNSD) was chaired by Milorad Dodik.
1997?2004
[
edit
]
By the time of the next local elections in 1997, about twenty municipal committees had been formed, and it ran independently in 24 municipalities of the Republic of Srpska, mainly in Krajina and Posavina.
[16]
In 1997, there was a split in the Serb Democratic Party, in which
Biljana Plav?i?
, the president of Repubika Srpska left the party following internal clashes.
The People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska was dissolved and parliamentary elections were held simultaneously with local elections. The Party of Independent Social Democrats received twice as much support compared to the previous elections just a year earlier.
[16]
The then western-backed Plav?i? nominated Dodik for Prime Minister and he was elected in the January 1998 elections, largely being seen as a moderate.
[18]
In the party's early years it was active in the "Sloga" (
freedom
) coalition with Plav?i?'s
Serb National Alliance
and the
Socialist Party
, whose leader at the time was
?ivko Radi?i?
. In 1998 another parliamentary election was held. In the elections for the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, the Party of Independent Social Democrats won 6 parliamentary seats.
[16]
1999 was marked by difficulties in the region, including the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
and internal strife with the blockade of the work of the Government by the People’s Assembly, a vote of no-confidence and the removal of
Nikola Popla?en
from the post of President of Republika Srpska by the High Representative
Carlos Westendorp
. Meanwhile the government led by Dodik received significant support from international institutions.
[16]
In December 1999, the Social Liberal Party of Republika Srpska merged into the SNSD, and after local elections in 2000
Nikola ?piri?
's
Democratic Socialist Party
(DSP) merged into it in 2001. The SNSD then changed its name to the "Alliance of Independent Social Democrats", keeping its old abbreviation.
DSP was a splinter party of the SPRS. At the Unifying Congress in May 2002, it elected Milorad Dodik as president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, with
Neboj?a Radmanovi?
as president of the Executive Committee. Vinko đuragi?'s New Workers' Party also joined the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats.
[16]
In August 2002, the New Labour Party of Republika Srpska merged into the SNSD.
In the elections held on 5 October 2002, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats won the largest number of parliamentary seats since its creation, receiving 19 seats in the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, 3 deputies in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 1 deputy in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Alliance of Independent Social Democrats received 7 seats in the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska and 3 seats in the Council of Peoples of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moderate political parties were offered a partnership to form a new government, but the
Party of Democratic Progress
decided to remain in the pact with the nationalist parties, so the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats accepted the role of the strongest opposition party, not only in the Republic of Srpska, but throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[16]
In this period, the party launched a campaign to collect signatures, with the goal of abolishing conscription into the army and demilitarization of the country.
[16]
In the 2004 elections, with around 125,000 votes, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats became the strongest party in Republika Srpska and the second in terms of votes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 17 mayor positions were won, 15 of which were in Republika Srpska, and 2 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of council seats, compared to the previous local elections four years earlier was much higher, and they were won in all candidate municipalities in Republika Srpska, and in 9 municipalities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the establishment of municipal assemblies, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats has 22 municipal presidents, and a larger number of deputy mayors and vice presidents of municipal assemblies.
[16]
The end of 2004 was marked by the resignation of the republican government headed by Dragan Mikerevi?. After an unsuccessful two-year mandate, the Government resigns, and the political parties of the Republic of Srpska reach an Agreement on coordinated political action, with the aim of defining the strategic relationship towards the constitutional arrangement and upcoming reforms: police and defense.
[16]
2006?present: Breakthrough and rule
[
edit
]
At the beginning of 2006, the previous prime minister of Republic of Srpska, Pero Bukejlovi?, resigned. Ten days after that, on 26 January 2006, the president of Republic of Srpska,
Dragan ?avi?
, asked Milorad Dodik to form a new government, in which, according to the Constitution, there are 16 ministers: eight Serbs, five Bosniaks and three Croats. The Parliament of Republika Srpska supported the appointment of Dodik as Prime Minister on 28 February 2006.
The Alliance of Independent Social Democrats achieved their breakthrough in the 2006 general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Neboj?a Radmanovi?
was elected as the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats won 7 seats with 269,468 votes ahead of the Party of Democratic Action with 238,474 (9 seats) and the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina with 219,477 votes (8 seats). Milan Jeli? became the President of Republika Srpska (271,022 votes, 48.87%). The party won 41 out of 83 parliamentary seats in the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, and Milorad Dodik, the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, became the representative for the composition of the new Republika Srpska government. In the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats won 1 place with 12,564 votes (1.46%). The Alliance of Independent Social Democrats won 3 out of 25 seats in the Assembly of Canton 10 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (3,654 votes, 11.99%).
[20]
In the General Elections of 2010, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats repeated their good result from 2006, and at all levels defeated the united opposition in the coalition Zajedno za Srpska (Serb Democratic Party-Party of Democratic Progress-Serb Radical Party of Republic of Srpska).
The joint candidate of the "Alliance of Independent Social Democrats-Democratic People's Alliance-Socialist Party" coalition for the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Neboj?a Radmanovi?, received 295,629 votes, i.e. 48.92% of the total number of valid votes. The most significant opponent, the candidate of the Zajedno za Srpska coalition,
Mladen Ivani?
, received 285,951 votes, or 47.31% of valid votes. A large number of invalid ballots, and a small difference between the two most important candidates, resulted in a complaint by Mladen Ivani? and his Party of Democratic Progress about irregularities during the counting of ballots. The Central Election Commission put an end to such doubts by recognizing the election results.
[21]
Milorad Dodik, the candidate of the coalition "Alliance of Independent Social Democrats-Democratic People's Alliance-Socialist Party" for the president of Republika Srpska achieved a convincing victory, receiving the support of 50.52% of voters, i.e. 319,618 valid votes.
In the elections for the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, the party won 38% of the valid votes cast (240,727 votes) and received 37 parliamentary mandates, which was enough for the party to preserve the parliamentary majority in the coalition with the Democratic People's Alliance and the Socialist Party.
[
citation needed
]
In the elections for the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the party in the Republic of Srpska won 43.30% of the votes, or 8 representatives.
[22]
The
2014 general elections
saw the SNSD enter the race with a coalition of smaller parties; the Democratic People's Alliance and the Socialist Party. The SNSD became the main ruling party of Republika Srpska for the third consecutive time, gaining 29 seats in the Assembly with Dodik re-elected.
[23]
After the
2018 general elections
, for the Serb member of the Presidency, Dodik received a record number of votes, i.e. 368,210 votes or 53.88%, while candidate Alliance for Victory Mladen Ivani? received 292,065 or 42.74%. In the People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska, SNSD remained the strongest political entity with 218,201 (31.87%) votes and 28 seats.
Ideology
[
edit
]
Reflecting a trend in Eastern Europe for
centre-left
parties, it has been characterized as a
social-democratic
party with left-leaning views on fiscal issues,
[2]
[3]
while having more conservative views on social issues.
[7]
[8]
Since the late 2000s, the party has gradually abandoned its
reformist
ideology and
confederalism
[24]
for
Russophilia
[25]
[6]
and a more aggressive advocacy of
Serbian nationalism
and
separatism
, threatening a
proposed secession of Republika Srpska
from the rest of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
numerous times.
[9]
[10]
[26]
[12]
This has also led to the party being expelled from the
Socialist International
in 2012 for continuing to "espouse a nationalist and extremist" line.
[27]
List of presidents
[
edit
]
#
|
Name
(Born?Died)
|
Portrait
|
Term of Office
|
1
|
Milorad Dodik
(b. 1959)
|
|
10 March 1996
|
present
|
Electoral results
[
edit
]
Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
[
edit
]
National Assembly of Republika Srpska
[
edit
]
National Assembly of Republika Srpska
Year
|
Leader
|
#
|
Popular vote
|
%
|
# of seats
|
Seat change
|
Coalition
|
Government
|
1996
|
Milorad Dodik
|
3rd
|
125,372
|
11.53%
|
|
New
|
NSSM
|
Opposition
|
1997
|
6th
|
21,178
|
2.41%
|
|
1
|
?
|
Coalition
|
1998
|
6th
|
53,802
|
7.29%
|
|
4
|
?
|
Coalition
|
2000
|
2nd
|
81,467
|
13.00%
|
|
5
|
?
|
Opposition
|
2002
|
2nd
|
111,226
|
21.79%
|
|
8
|
?
|
Opposition
|
2006
|
1st
|
244,251
|
43.31%
|
|
22
|
?
|
Coalition
|
2010
|
1st
|
240,727
|
38.00%
|
|
4
|
?
|
Coalition
|
2014
|
1st
|
213,665
|
32.28%
|
|
8
|
?
|
Coalition
|
2018
|
1st
|
218,201
|
31.87%
|
|
1
|
?
|
Coalition
|
2022
|
1st
|
221,554
|
34.63%
|
|
1
|
?
|
Coalition
|
Presidential elections
[
edit
]
Positions held
[
edit
]
Major positions held by Alliance of Independent Social Democrats members:
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Popadi?, Slobodan (5 March 2019).
"SNSD slavi 23. rođendan, Dodik: Republika Srpska je epicentar na?eg djelovanja"
.
Srpskainfo
(in Serbian)
. Retrieved
30 July
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018).
"Bosnia-Herzegovina"
.
Parties and Elections in Europe
. Retrieved
11 October
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Nardelli, Alberto; Dzidic, Denis; Jukic, Elvira (8 October 2014).
"Bosnia and Herzegovina: the world's most complicated system of government?"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
a
b
c
Kubat, Michal; Mejst?ik, Martin (June 2020).
Populist Parties in Contemporary Europe
(PDF)
. Democratic Efficacy and the Varieties of Populism in Europe.
- ^
"Dodik claims British person runs office in Sarajevo to prevent Russian influence"
. N1. 23 April 2019.
- ^
a
b
Sito-Sucic, Maja Zuvela, Daria (8 October 2018).
"Nationalists win in Bosnia, including Serb who opposes 'impossible state'
"
.
Reuters
– via www.reuters.com.
{{
cite news
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
a
b
Rosas, Joao Cardoso; Ferreira, Ana Rita (8 January 2014).
Left and Right: The Great Dichotomy Revisited
. Cambridge Scholars.
ISBN
9781443855709
.
- ^
a
b
Passarelli, Gianluca (January 2018).
The Presidentialisation of Political Parties in the Western Balkans
. Springer.
ISBN
9783319973524
.
- ^
a
b
"Defying Ban, Republika Srpska Proceeds With 'Statehood Day'
"
.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
. 9 January 2018.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. imposes sanctions on Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Dodik"
.
U.S
. 17 January 2017 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^
"The 2016 Local Elections in Bosnia: a Win for the Major Ethno-nationalist Parties - Bosnia"
. Archived from
the original
on 14 April 2019
. Retrieved
12 January
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"The Political System of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Institutions ? Actors ? Processes"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 15 December 2017
. Retrieved
12 January
2018
.
- ^
"SNSD suspended from the Socialist International"
(in Croatian). 2 July 2011. Archived from
the original
on 4 July 2011
. Retrieved
9 September
2012
.
- ^
"Member Parties of the Socialist International"
. Retrieved
9 September
2012
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"Istorija Stranke"
.
snsd.org
. 16 May 2012.
- ^
"Moderate Elected Prime Minister of Bosnian Serbs"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Reuters. 18 January 1998.
- ^
"Op?ti izbori 2010"
. Archived from
the original
on 17 May 2013
. Retrieved
24 October
2022
.
, Kanton 10.
- ^
Arslanagic, Sabina (27 October 2010).
"Bosnia Ballot Recount Over, No Fraud Found"
.
Balkan Insight
.
- ^
Zvani?ni rezultati izbora CIK BiH
- ^
Jukic, Elvira M. (26 November 2014).
"Republika Srpska Leader Prepares to Name PM"
.
Balkan Insight
.
- ^
'Za sve bi najbolja bila konfederacija Herceg Bosne, Republike Srpske i Bosne'
. Ve?ernji list, 14. velja?e 2014. Pristupljeno 26. o?ujka 2014.
- ^
"Brit runs office for preventing Russia's influence in Bosnia"
.
- ^
"The 2016 Local Elections in Bosnia: a Win for the Major Ethno-nationalist Parties - Bosnia"
. Archived from
the original
on 14 April 2019
. Retrieved
12 January
2018
.
- ^
Banovi?, Damir; Gavri?, Sa?a; Barreiro Marino, Marina (2020).
The Political System of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Institutions ? Actors ? Processes
. Springer. pp. 85?86.
ISBN
978-3-03054-387-7
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]