THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM OF SERBIA
THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM OF SERBIA

Author(s): Vladimir Goati
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Governance, Government/Political systems, Electoral systems
Published by: CEDET Centar za demokratsku tranziciju
Keywords: constituency; election threshold; election manipulations; proportional system; majority system
Summary/Abstract: The breakdown of the “self-managing socialist” regime in Serbia 1989 and 1990 was preceded neither by lengthy mass protests nor civil disobedience actions after which the government would have been forced to make concessi­ons. Instead, the ruling political elite, under the influence of dramatic events in the countries of South-Eastern Europe, adopted the institutions of representative democracy (political opposition, multi-party system, elections, etc.). Thus, it can be said that the changes that took place in Serbia came “from the top”. The decision to establish democratic institutions was actually made by the League of Communists of Serbia (SKS) at the end of 1989 while Serbia was one of the six republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). In 1990, on the initiative of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), (formerly the SKS), the Parliament of Serbia, elected in 1989, scheduled the first pluralist elections for December 9, 1990. On September 28, 1990 the one-party parliament passed a new Serbian constitution without consulting the newly formed oppositional parties. (In each of the other Yugoslav republics, except Montenegro, new constitutions were passed by a multi-party parliament after the elections.)

• Details
• Contents