1997 Serbian general election

General elections were held in the Yugoslav province of Serbia on 21 September 1997, to elect the president and members of the National Assembly. With no presidential candidate receiving over 50% of the vote in the first round, a second round was held on 5 October.^[1] Running on a platform of nationalism and neoliberal economic reforms, Vojislav Šešelj of the Serbian Radical Party received the most votes in the runoff. However, voter turnout was only 49%, below the required 50%.^[1][2][3] As a result, the elections were annulled, and fresh elections were scheduled for December.^[1][4]

1997 Serbian general election

Presidential election
← 1992 21 September 1997 (first round) 5 October 1997 (second round) Dec 1997 →
Turnout	48.95% ( 15.20 pp)
Candidate Vojislav Šešelj Zoran Lilić Party SRS SPS Popular vote 1,733,859 1,691,354 Percentage 50.62% 49.38%
President before election Dragan Tomić (acting) SPS Elected President Election results annulled Dragan Tomić (acting) SPS
Parliamentary election
← 1993 21 September 1997 2000 →
Turnout	57.37% ( 3.93 pp)
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– SPS–JUL–ND Slobodan Milošević 35.70 110 −18 SRS Vojislav Šešelj 29.26 82 +43 SPO Vuk Drašković 19.99 45 +8 KV Sándor Páll 2.83 4 −1 DA Nebojša Čović 1.53 1 New VMSZ József Kasza 1.28 4 New LZS Sulejman Ugljanin 1.25 3 New DKPB Ramadan Ameti 0.36 1 New This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Results of the presidential election by district Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Mirko Marjanović SPS Mirko Marjanović SPS

In the National Assembly elections, the Socialist Party of Serbia–Yugoslav Left–New Democracy coalition emerged as the largest in the Assembly, winning 110 of the 250 seats.^[5]

The elections were boycotted by several major opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Serbia and the Civic Alliance of Serbia, which claimed that the elections would not be held under fair conditions.^[1][6] Most Kosovo Albanians also boycotted the elections, who made up around 17% of the population, due to increasing ethnic tensions in Kosovo.^[7]

Electoral lists

Following electoral lists are electoral lists that received seats in the National Assembly after the 1997 election:^[8]

#	Ballot name		Representative	Main ideology	Political position
1		Socialist Party of Serbia, Yugoslav Left, New Democracy – Slobodan Milošević SPS, JUL, ND	Slobodan Milošević	Populism	Left-wing
2		Serbian Radical Party – dr Vojislav Šešelj SRS	Vojislav Šešelj	Ultranationalism	Far-right
3		Serbian Renewal Movement – Vuk Drašković SPO	Vuk Drašković	Conservatism	Centre-right
4		Coalition "Vojvodina" – Miodrag Mile Isakov – Nenad Čanak LSV, NSS, RDSV	Nenad Čanak	Vojvodina autonomism	Centre-left
5		Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians VMSZ/SVM	József Kasza	Minority politics	Centre-left
6		"List for Sandžak dr Sulejman Ugljanin" SDAS, BDSS	Sulejman Ugljanin	Minority politics	Right-wing
7		Democratic Alternative (DA) – Peasant Party of Serbia (SSS) – Pensioners Party of Serbia (PPS) – Nebojša Čović DA, SSS, PPS	Nebojša Čović	Social democracy	Centre-left
8		Democratic Coalition Preševo–Bujanovac DKPB	Ramadan Ameti	Minority politics	Centre

Results

Presidential

Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
			Votes	%	Votes	%
	Zoran Lilić	Left Coalition (SPS–JUL–ND)	1,474,924	37.12	1,691,354	49.38
	Vojislav Šešelj	Serbian Radical Party	1,126,940	28.36	1,733,859	50.62
	Vuk Drašković	Serbian Renewal Movement	852,808	21.46
	Mile Isakov	Vojvodina Coalition	111,166	2.80
	Vuk Obradović	Social Democracy	100,523	2.53
	Nebojša Čović	Democratic Alternative–SSS	93,133	2.34
	Sulejman Ugljanin	List for Sandžak (SDA S)	68,446	1.72
	Milisav Banković	Workers' Party of Yugoslavia	49,158	1.24
	Milan Paroški	People's Party	27,100	0.68
	Miodrag Vidojković	Independent	14,105	0.36
	Predrag Vuletić	Liberal Democratic Party	11,463	0.29
	Dragan Đorđević	Party of Citizens of Serbia	10,684	0.27
	Milan Mladenović	Revival Coalition	10,112	0.25
	Đorđe Drljačić	Independent	9,430	0.24
	Branko Čičić	Natural Law Party	7,097	0.18
	Gvozden Sakić	Independent	3,293	0.08
	Radomir Tukmanović	Progressive Party	2,647	0.07
Total			3,973,029	100.00	3,425,213	100.00
Valid votes			3,973,029	96.23	3,425,213	97.05
Invalid/blank votes			155,860	3.77	104,223	2.95
Total votes			4,128,889	100.00	3,529,436	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			7,187,936	57.44	7,210,557	48.95
Source: RIK

Parliamentary

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Left Coalition (SPS–JUL–ND)	1,418,036	35.70	110	–18
	Serbian Radical Party	1,162,216	29.26	82	+43
	Serbian Renewal Movement	793,988	19.99	45	+8
	Vojvodina Coalition (LSV–NSS–RV)	112,589	2.83	4	+3
	Social Democracy	105,068	2.64	0	New
	Democratic Alternative–Peasants Party–Pensioners' Party	60,855	1.53	1	+1
	Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians	50,960	1.28	4	New
	List for Sandžak	49,486	1.25	3	New
	Democratic Party of Vojvodina Hungarians	16,986	0.43	0	New
	Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians	16,812	0.42	0	–5
	New Communist Party of Yugoslavia	16,222	0.41	0	0
	Radical Party "Nikola Pasic"	15,986	0.40	0	New
	People's Party	15,232	0.38	0	0
	Democratic Coalition Preševo-Bujanovac	14,179	0.36	1	New
	Natural Law Party	8,957	0.23	0	New
	League of Communists of Yugoslavia in Serbia	5,760	0.14	0	New
	Party of Serbian Unity	5,590	0.14	0	0
	Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina	5,375	0.14	0	0
	Vojvodina's Party	4,790	0.12	0	New
	Party of Serbian Citizens	4,508	0.11	0	New
	Rebirth Coalition – Foreign Currency Savers Party	3,727	0.09	0	New
	Alliance of Subotica Citizens	3,647	0.09	0	New
	Sandžak Coalition	3,606	0.09	0	New
	Serbian Resistance Movement – Democratic Movement	3,299	0.08	0	New
	Pensioners Democratic Party of Serbia	2,956	0.07	0	New
	Christian Democratic Movement of Vojvodina Hungarians	2,702	0.07	0	New
	Rebirth Coalition	2,652	0.07	0	New
	Serbian Peasants' Party	2,197	0.06	0	0
	Civic Movement of Vojvodina Hungarians	2,181	0.05	0	New
	Workers' Party of Yugoslavia	2,141	0.05	0	New
	New Radical Party – Party of the People	2,116	0.05	0	New
	Foreign Currency Savers Party	1,895	0.05	0	0
	Movement for the Protection of Human Rights	1,849	0.05	0	0
	Christian Democratic Union	1,772	0.04	0	New
	Serbian Peasants' Party – People's Party	1,489	0.04	0	0
	Alliance of Independent Citizens "For Zemun"	1,243	0.03	0	New
	Independent Radical Party	1,225	0.03	0	New
	Vojvodina Green Party	1,125	0.03	0	New
	League of Communists of Yugoslavia	1,026	0.03	0	New
	Solidarity	891	0.02	0	New
	Green Party	772	0.02	0	0
	Communist Party of Yugoslavia	749	0.02	0	0
	Sandžak Workers Social Democratic Party	674	0.02	0	New
	Liberal Democratic Party	503	0.01	0	New
	"Serbian Citizens" – Serbian Citizens Party	477	0.01	0	New
	United Opposition of Šumadija	440	0.01	0	0
	Rebirth Coalition–Foreign Currency Savers Party–Radical Party	355	0.01	0	0
	Yugoslav Working Class "Josip Broz Tito"	351	0.01	0	0
	Rebirth Coalition–Monarchist Party of Serbia	296	0.01	0	0
	CP of Yugoslavia – Perspective Movement – WP of Yugoslavia	283	0.01	0	0
	Universalist Movement	124	0.00	0	New
	Independents	40,110	1.01	0	0
Total		3,972,468	100.00	250	0
Valid votes		3,972,468	96.03
Invalid/blank votes		164,307	3.97
Total votes		4,136,775	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,210,386	57.37
Source: Republican Electoral Commission

References

1. Serbian Presidential Elections Since 1990 Balkan Insight, 1 April 2012
2. Rosenstone, Steven J. (1983). Forecasting Presidential Elections. Yale University Press. pp. 1–8. ISBN 978-0-300-02691-7.
3. "CNN.com - World - Election Watch". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
4. "REPUBLIC OF SERBIA: RERUN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DECEMBER 7 AND DECEMBER 21, 1997" (PDF). osce.org. OSCE. 22 January 1998.
5. Janusz Bugajski (2002) Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-Communist Era, pp434
6. "MILOSEVIC'S PARTY CLAIMS VICTORY IN SERBIAN VOTE". Washington Post. 2024-01-08. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
7. "CNN - Many boycott Serbia ballot - Sept. 21, 1997". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
8. "Arhiva - Izbori za narodne poslanike - 1997". arhiva.rik.parlament.gov.rs. Retrieved 2022-10-08.

External links

• The Fourth Republican Election (1997), B92