First session of the new parliament, February 2024
Photo: FoNet
A total of 16 parliamentary groups were formed in the new convocation of the National Assembly of Serbia, elected on 17 December 2023. The formation of the groups was formally confirmed earlier this week.
As was the case in previous parliaments, most electoral lists that entered the parliament split into several parliamentary groups. Four groups were formed from the list centred around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, while six groups were formed from the opposition “Serbia Against Violence” list.
The proposal to elect Ana Brnabić as the new speaker of parliament was signed by the parliamentary groups formed from the lists of the ruling SNS, Socialist Party of Serbia and two minority lists – Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and Bosniak Party of Justice and Reconciliation. These groups are expected to once again form the next government.
“Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Must Not Stop”: 113 MPs
The largest group in the parliament consists of members of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The group is named after the electoral list, which in turn carries the name of the President of Serbia and former leader of the party. The chair of the group is Milenko Jovanov, who held the same position in the previous parliament.
Freedom and Justice Party – Free Citizens Movement: 19 MPs
The largest opposition group in the parliament was formed by the 16 MPs of the centre-left Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) and 3 MPs of the liberal Free Citizens Movement (PSG). The MPs were elected on the list “Serbia Against Violence”. The chair of the group is Marinika Tepić, Vice President of SSP, who also held this position in the previous parliament.
People’s Movement of Serbia – New Face of Serbia: 14 MPs
The group was formed by 14 centre-right MPs – 12 from the People’s Movement of Serbia (NPS) and 2 from the New Face of Serbia (NLS). Both parties were formed in 2023 and elected on the list “Serbia Against Violence”. The group is chaired by the leader of NPS Miroslav Aleksić, who in previous parliament chaired the group of the People’s Party, of which he was Deputy President.
“Ivica Dačić – Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)”: 13 MPs
The MPs from the group were elected on the list “Ivica Dačić – Prime Minister of Serbia”. The group is currently chaired by the leader of SPS Ivica Dačić, though he might resign from his parliamentary seat soon if he becomes a member of the future government.
New DSS – POKS (NADA): 13 MPs
The group consists of 7 MPs of the conservative New Democratic Party of Serbia (New DSS) and 6 MPs of the Movement for the Renewal of the Kingdom of Serbia (POKS). The MPs were elected on the joint list and have remained in the same parliamentary group. As in the last parliament, the group is chaired by the leader of the New DSS Miloš Jovanović.
“Green-left Front, Do not let Belgrade d(r)own”: 10 MPs
The MPs were elected on the list “Serbia Against Violence”. The Green-Left Front (ZLF) was officially established as a party in 2023, having previously been an activist group primarily based in Belgrade. Co-presidents of the party Radomir Lazović and Biljana Đorđević are chair and deputy chair of the group, respectively. In the previous parliament, ZLF had 5 MPs, and now it has doubled that number.
Serbia Centre – SRCE: 9 MPs
Another group elected on the list “Serbia Against Violence”, it is composed of the members of the centrist SRCE party, founded in 2022 by the presidential runner-up Zdravko Ponoš, who is also the chair of the group. The party has entered the parliament for the first time.
Democratic Party – DS: 8 MPs
Centre-left Democratic Party, which used to be one of the dominant parties in the country, was also a part of the “Serbia Against Violence” coalition. The group is chaired by the party’s president Zoran Lutovac and has two MPs less than in the previous parliament.
“WE – The Voice from the People”: 7 MPs
This group was elected on the list “WE – The Voice of the People”, gathered around controversial doctor and media personality Branimir Nestorović. It was formed ahead of the 2023 elections by Nestorović and several other prominent political commentators, and has mostly taken right-wing populist and pro-Russian positions. The list won 13 MPs, but it suffered a split in February, over the issue of who should lead the new party. Branko Pavlović, one of the co-founders of the group “WE”, is the chair of the group.
“WE – The Voice from the People, professor doctor Branimir Nestorović”: 6 MPs
This parliamentary group was formed by Branimir Nestorović and 5 MPs that remained loyal to him after the split of the group “WE” (see above). Nestorović chose not the be the chair of the group, leaving that position to Branko Lukić, best known in the public as the lawyer of Ratko Mladić in the ICTY.
“PUPS – Solidarity and Justice”: 6 MPs
The Party of United Pensioners, Farmer and Proletarians of Serbia – Solidarity and Justice has been a coalition partner of SNS since 2016 and entered this parliament on the list “Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Must Not Stop”. The chair of the group is Stefan Krkobabić, son of the president of the party Milan Krkobabić.
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians: 6 MPs
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ) once again ran independently and gained representation as a national minority party. The party is a longtime coalition partner of SNS. The group is chaired by the new leader of VMSZ Bálint Pásztor, who took over after his father István Pásztor passed away last year.
Social Democratic Party of Serbia: 6 MPs
The centre-left SDPS was founded and is led by Rasim Ljajić, one of the political leaders of the Bosniak national minority in Serbia. The party, however, is not registered as a minority party and it is operating nationally. It has been a coalition partner of SNS since 2012 and has entered the parliament on its list once again. Branimir Jovanović is the chair of the group.
“Dragan Marković Palma – United Serbia”: 5 MPs
Coalition partner of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) since 2008, United Serbia (JS) entered the parliament on the list “Ivica Dačić – Prime Minister of Serbia”. The group is named after and chaired by its leader Dragan Marković Palma.
Ecological Uprising: 5 MPs
The group was formed by the activist environmental organisation Ecological Uprising, which has become prominent in the past several years. The MPs were elected on the “Serbia Against Violence” list and formally nominated by the People’s Movement of Serbia (NPS), since the organisation is not a political party. The group is chaired by the EU’s leader Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta.
PS – NSS – USS – RS: 5 MPs
The group consists of 2 MPs of the Movement of Socialists (PS), founded by former Minister and Director of Security Intelligence Agency Aleksandar Vulin, 2 MPs of two agrarian parties – New Peasant Party (NSS) and United Peasant Party (USS), and 1 MP of the Russian Party. All parties except the Russian Party, which entered the parliament independently, were elected on the list “Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Must Not Stop”. Chair of the group is Đorđe Komlenski of PS.
Independent MPs
Five remaining MPs are independent. All of them were elected on national minority lists: two are members of the Bosniak Party of Justice and Reconciliation (SPP), two are members of the Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak (SDA), also a Bosniak minority party, and one is a member of the Albanian minority Party for Democratic Action (PDD).
