Leaders of the “National Rally” and NADA coalitions at the protests against the Brussels-Ohrid agreement between Belgrade and Pristina in March 2023
Photo: Facebook / Miloš Jovanović
Unlike the pro-European parties, there was no consolidation on the right-wing side of the political spectrum ahead of the election. “Dveri” and “Zavetnici” united in the “National Rally” coalition, while the New Democratic Party of Serbia (New DSS) and Movement for the Renewal of the Kingdom of Serbia (POKS) are participating in the NADA coalition. The People’s Party, led by former Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, is running independently.
The parties have mostly blamed each other for the failure to unite. As Serbian media reported in late October, negotiations among the right-wing opposition fell through when the signing of the agreement was disrupted by a “Zavetnici” party official and the husband of the party president Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski. She has denied this version of events.
The negotiations allegedly failed because DSS insisted that the coalition declares that it would not, under any circumstances, cooperate with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party on any level. Representatives of “Dveri” and “Zavetnici” stated later during the campaign that they would negotiate with anyone if they agree on rejecting the Franco-German Plan, including SNS.
The lack of unification was not, therefore, a result of disagreements over important ideological issues, including Kosovo and the EU, where all parties on this side of the spectrum have more or less the same position. Speculations about the role of the ruling parties in preventing a unification have also been present in the public.
The campaign of all right-wing parties continued to focus on three key issues: the status of Kosovo and the Franco-German proposal (European Plan for Kosovo), rejection of Serbia’s European path, and concerns about foreign investments in Serbia, including the Rio Tinto lithium mining project.
Kosovo – the paramount issue
Rejection of Kosovo’s independence has been the central message of the right-wing opposition. The parties were co-organisers of a large protest against the Brussels-Ohrid agreements, based on the Franco-German proposal, in March.
Representatives of all three lists visited Kosovo during the election campaign. Đurđević Stamenkovski reportedly entered its territory at night through a forest, without permission. Kosovo authorities have banned her from entering territory, citing her as a person who violates the constitution of the country.
President of the New DSS Miloš Jovanović also visited Kosovo. From Gazimestan, a place near the 1389 Kosovo battle, he emphasised that no one has the right to renounce Serbian history and parts of the state territory.
The similar stance toward the Frenco-German Plan was expressed by the People’s Party and its leader Vuk Jeremić. This party opposes the “French-German” plan for Kosovo because it is “the greatest danger to the stability of the Balkans, which could lead to new conflicts in the region in the future.”
Anti-EU stance
The right-wing parties were the only election participants to open the issue of Serbia’s EU integration process – in a negative light. The main message to their voters was that the era of „Brussels’ blackmailing“, resulting in the loss of sovereignty and economic decline, is over. Instead of EU integration process, representatives of „National Rally coalition” offered membership in BRICS.
This coalition representatives met two times during campaigns with officials from European far-right parties. As part of the campaign, Đurđević Stamenkovski visited Berlin, where she met with Tino Chrupalla, a member of Bundestag and co-chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The second meeting was in Belgrade, with the representatives of right-wing European parties from Germany (AfD), Hungary (Mi Hazánk), and Bulgaria (Varazhdane). The parties discussed formation of an alliance aimed at halting migrations and defending Europe from “destructive processes”. During their visit to Belgrade, leaders of these parties laid wreaths at the memorial for Milica Rakić, a girl who lost her life during the 1999 NATO bombing.
Controversy has been sparked by the meeting of “National Rally” coalition with the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, at the OSCE ministerial conference in Skopje. Miloš Jovanović and Vuk Jeremić claimed that this meeting took place with the assistance of representatives of the ruling majority and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, which, according to them, indicates that there is a coordination between the government and the “National Rally”.
Economy and lithium
Among the topics addressed by these coalitions were also the economy and issue of lithium. The leader of “Dveri”, Boško Obradović, has promised that if his coalition comes to power, it would insist on providing subsidies to domestic entrepreneurs instead of foreign investors.
A campaign video released by the coalition emphasised its intention to protect the interests of farmers. The video shows Obradović protecting a farmer from the state and mafia who are taking away his resources.
Additionally, Obradović has conveyed that the coalition is against the extraction of lithium and multinational company Rio Tinto, which has been involved in plans concerning lithium extraction in Serbia in recent years.
The “National Rally coalition” candidate for mayor of Belgrade is Ratko Ristić, a dean of the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade. Ristić is one of the prominent individuals who have expressed opposition to the lithium mining and the Rio Tinto company’s project over the past years. The critics of the project claim it would cause significant environmental damage to the area.
The leader of People’s Party, Vuk Jeremić, has also expressed opposition to lithium mining, as one of the top three promises of his party, in addition to the rejection of the French-German plan and the “change of the system”.
