Nataša Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Наташа Јовановић; born April 14, 1966) is a politician in Serbia. She has served several terms in the National Assembly of Serbia as a member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party.

Early life and career

Jovanović was born in Kragujevac, then part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She was employed with the Zastava Impeks company from 1987 to 1989 and was a tour guide with the agencies Holidej and Kontiki from 1991 to 1996.[1]

Political career

Jovanović joined the Serbian Radical Party in 1992. She was one of the party's candidates for the Kragujevac division in the 1993 Serbian parliamentary election, receiving the twenty-fourth position out of twenty-nine on the party's electoral list. The Radicals won five seats in the division, and she was not subsequently included in the party's parliamentary delegation.[2] (From 1992 to 2000, Serbia's electoral law stipulated that one-third of parliamentary mandates would be assigned to candidates from successful lists in numerical order, while the remaining two-thirds would be distributed amongst other candidates on the lists by the sponsoring parties.[3] Jovanović could have been included in the Radical Party's delegation notwithstanding her low position on the list, although in the event she was not.)

Yugoslav parliamentarian

Jovanović was elected to the Assembly of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's Chamber of Citizens in the 1996 election.[4] The Radical Party won sixteen seats and initially served in opposition to a governing alliance led by the Socialist Party of Serbia and its Montenegrin allies. In 1998, the Radical Party joined a coalition government in Serbia led by the Socialist Party; the following year, the party also became part of the government at the federal level in Yugoslavia.

In December 1998, Jovanoviċ was one of nineteen Serbian politicians denied entry to European Union countries for what was described as her role in bringing about a restrictive Law on Public Information, which critics regarded as an attempt to suppress the activities of opposition journalists.[5] A news report from this time described her as chair of the Radical Party's organization in Šumadija.[6]

Jovanović sought re-election to the Chamber of Citizens in the 2000 Yugoslav election. She was defeated when the Radical Party failed to win any mandates in Kragujevac.[7]

Member of the National Assembly of Serbia

Serbia's electoral system was reformed in 2000, such that the entire country became a single electoral division. Jovanović received the fourteenth position on the Radical Party's list for the 2000 Serbian parliamentary election; the party won twenty-three mandates, and she was included in its delegation to the assembly.[8] (From 2000 to 2011, Serbian parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than to individual candidates, and it was common practice for parties to distribute the mandates out of numerical order. Although Jovanović did not automatically receive a seat in parliament by virtue of her position on the list, she was included in the party's delegation all the same.)[9] The election was won by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia; the Radicals served in opposition, often using obstructionist parliamentary tactics. In April 2001, the legislature was adjourned when Jovanović refused to leave the floor after exceeding her allotted time to speak.[10] On another occasion, Jovanović splashed water on speaker Nataša Mićić during a contentious debate.[11] She took part in a rally at the legislature in October 2003, saying that the Radical Party would seek to bring down the "criminal" government as soon as possible.[12]

The Radical Party emerged as the largest party in the assembly after the 2003 elections, although it did not command a majority and did not form government. Jovanović received the twelfth position on the party's list[13] and was once again included in its parliamentary delegation.[14] At a 2006 rally, she described Ratko Mladić, at the time a fugitive and accused Serbian war criminal, as "the pride of the Serbian nation, unlike those in power."[15]

In June 2006, Jovanović was appointed as a substitute member of Serbia's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[16][17] On one occasion, she took part in a delegation seeking an international investigation into human organ trafficking in Kosovo and Metohija.[18]

Jovanović received the thirty-second position on the Radical Party's list in the 2007 parliamentary election and was again included in its delegation after the election.[19] The Radicals again won the largest number of seats but, as before, did not command a majority. Jovanović led the Radical Party's negotiating team in talks with Serbian president Boris Tadić on the formation of a new government; she argued that a member of the Radical Party should be nominated for prime minister and that Tadić should resign as president due to what was described as a poor showing by his Democratic Party.[20] This advice was predictably not taken, and the Radicals remained in opposition. In May 2007, however, a temporary alliance between the Radicals, the Socialist Party of Serbia, and the Democratic Party of Serbia (not to be confused with Tadić's party) resulted in Jovanović being selected as a deputy speaker of the assembly.[21]

A new parliamentary election was held in 2008, with inconclusive results. Jovanović, again included in her party's parliamentary group,[22] took part in negotiations between the Radicals, the Socialists, and the Democratic Party of Serbia toward forming a new government with Vojislav Koštunica as prime minister.[23] The Socialists ultimately declined to participate in the deal, instead forming an alliance with Tadić's For a European Serbia alliance. Notwithstanding this, Jovanović was again selected as a deputy speaker in June 2008.[24]

When the Tadić government arrested and extradited former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić on war crimes charges in 2008, Jovanović was reported to have said of Tadić in a parliamentary debate, “Let the sun never shine upon him, let his name be deleted, let God punish him. He is the biggest traitor.”[25] On another occasion, she defended Radical Party leader Vojislav Šešelj's statement that the killer of Zoran Đinđić should be recognized as a hero of the Serb people on par with Gavrilo Princip.[26]

The Radical Party experienced a significant split in late 2008, and several leading figures formed the breakaway Serbian Progressive Party, a more moderate conservative grouping under the leadership of Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić. Jovanović remained with the Radicals and was considered a prominent ally of hardline party leader Vojislav Šešelj.[27]

Serbia's electoral system was reformed again in 2011, such that parliamentary mandates were awarded in numerical order to candidates on successful lists. Jovanović received the twelfth position on the party's electoral list;[28] the party failed to cross the electoral threshold to win representation in the assembly. She was again included on the Radical list for the 2014 election, in which the party once again failed to win representation.[29]

The Radicals returned to parliament with the 2016 election, winning twenty-two mandates. Jovanović, who received the ninth position on the list,[30] was re-elected and represented the party along with Nemanja Šarović in talks with president Tomislav Nikolić prior to the formation of a new government.[31] The results of the talks were a foregone conclusion; the Progressives and their allies commanded a majority of seats in parliament. The Radical delegation used their consultation session to demand that Nikolić resign, and the meeting was reported to have ended after thirty seconds.[32]

Jovanović is currently a member of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee and the committee on the right of the child, a deputy member of the defense and internal affairs committee, a member of Serbia's delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (where Serbia has associate status), and a member of the parliamentary friendship groups with Russia and China.[33]

References

  1. ↑ NATAŠA (SPASOJA) JOVANOVIĆ, Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 14 August 2017.
  2. ↑ ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (3 Крагујевац) Archived 2018-07-20 at the Wayback Machine and Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за народне посланике у Народну скупштину Републике Србије, одржаних 19. и 26. децембра 1993. године и 5. јануара 1994. године , Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 14 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Guide to the Early Election Archived 2022-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, December 1992, made available by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, accessed 14 July 2017.
  4. ↑ NATAŠA (SPASOJA) JOVANOVIĆ, Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 14 August 2017. It may be reasonably assumed that Jovanović was elected for the Kragujevac division, where the Radical Party won one mandate; see ИЗБОРИ '96: ВЕЋЕ ГРАЂАНА САВЕЗНЕ СКУПШТИНЕ, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Department of Statistics (1996), p. 50.
  5. ↑ 98/725/CFSP: Common Position of 14 December 1998 defined by the Council on the basis of Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union on restrictive measures to be taken against persons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia acting against the independent media
  6. ↑ "Serbian daily says EU to ban politicians for "abuse" of information law," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service: Central Europe & Balkans, 16 December 1998 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 0707 gmt 15 Dec 98).
  7. ↑ Jovanović led the Radical Party's electoral list for the Kragulevac. See "КАНДИДАТИ СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА ЗА ИЗБОР САВЕЗНИХ ПОСЛАНИІКА У ВЕЋЕ ГРАЂАНА САВЕЗНЕ СКУПШТИНЕ, Velika Srbija [Radical Party publication], September 2000, p. 9. For a summary of results in the division, see ИЗБОРИ 2000: ВЕЋЕ РЕПУБЛИКА И ВЕЋЕ ГРАЂАНА САВЕЗНЕ СКУПШТИНЕ, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Department of Statistics (2000), p. 78.
  8. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Српска радикална странка – др Војислав Шешељ) Archived 2017-03-11 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 17 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017.
  10. ↑ Beti Bilandzic, "Serb radicals claim persecution, snarl legislature," Reuters News, 19 April 2001.
  11. ↑ "SERBIAN PARLIAMENT WITHOUT QUORUM, DSS MIGHT BE OUSTED FROM DOS," HINA, 22 May 2002.
  12. ↑ "Serbian opposition, union protesters call for fall of "corrupt" government," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 29 October 2003 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1438 gmt 29 Oct 03).
  13. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 28. децембра 2003. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА - др ВОЈИСЛАВ ШЕШЕЉ) Archived 2017-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 17 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Radicals submit list of Serbian Assembly deputies to election commission," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 8 January 2004 (Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1512 gmt 8 Jan 04).
  15. ↑ "Serbian nationalists urge Mladic to hold out," Agence France Presse, 24 February 2006.
  16. ↑ "Serbia appoints delegations to European bodies," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 21 June 2006 (Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1513 gmt 21 Jun 06).
  17. ↑ Nataša JOVANOVIĆ, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, accessed 17 July 2018.
  18. ↑ NATAŠA (SPASOJA) JOVANOVIĆ, Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 14 August 2017.
  19. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Српска радикална странка - др Војислав Шешељ) Archived 2018-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 17 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "Serbian Radicals refuse to name candidate for PM-designate in talks with preside" [sic], British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 30 January 2017 (Source: Radio Belgrade in Serbian 1400 gmt 29 Jan 07).
  21. ↑ "Serbian parliament elects deputy Speakers," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 9 May 2017 (Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1358 gmt 9 May 07).
  22. ↑ Jovanović received the twelfth position on the Radical list and was again included in its parliamentary delegation. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА - Др ВОЈИСЛАВ ШЕШЕЉ) Archived 2018-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 17 February 2017.
  23. ↑ "Serb nationalists near coalition with Socialists," Reuters News, 22 May 2008; "Serbian president begins coalition government talks," Agence France Presse, 22 May 2008.
  24. ↑ "Serbian assembly elects six deputy Speakers," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 June 2008 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 1308 gmt 26 Jun 08).
  25. ↑ "Serb Ultranationalists Damn Tadic", Balkan Insight, 2 September 2008, accessed 14 August 2017. At least one source has reported that Jovanović also screamed the phrase, "May the Lord dry his seed," in a parliamentary debate, directed toward Tadić. See Dimiter Kenarov, "Pop-Art Radovan," Virginia Quarterly Review, 1 January 2009.
  26. ↑ "Serbian government condemns Radical leader's praise of Djindjic's assassin," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 23 May 2008 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 0919 gmt 23 May 08).
  27. ↑ "Serbian Radicals' leader reportedly losing control of assembly deputies," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 5 September 2008 (Source: Blic website, Belgrade, in Serbian 5 Sep 08).
  28. ↑ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА - ДР ВОЈИСЛАВ ШЕШЕЉ) Archived 2017-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 11 April 2017.
  29. ↑ Jovanović received the ninth position. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 16. и 23. марта 2014. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА - ДР ВОЈИСЛАВ ШЕШЕЉ) Archived 2018-05-06 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 11 April 2017.
  30. ↑ Избори за народне посланике 2016. године » Изборне листе (Др ВОЈИСЛАВ ШЕШЕЉ - СРПСКА РАДИКАЛНА СТРАНКА) Archived 2018-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 March 2017.
  31. ↑ "Serbian Radical leader not to take part in consultations on new government," British Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting European, 20 May 2016 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 0000 gmt 20 May 16).
  32. ↑ "Serbian far-right party says talks with president lasted 30 seconds," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 23 May 2016 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 0000 gmt 23 May 16).
  33. ↑ NATASA Sp. JOVANOVIC, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 14 August 2017.
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