Serbian State-Building Bloc
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National Gathering (, abbr. NO), initially known as the Serbian State-Building Bloc (, abbr. SDB), was a
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
political coalition A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...
in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, composed of
Serbian Party Oathkeepers The Serbian Party Oathkeepers (, abbr. SSZ), commonly known as just Oathkeepers, is a far-right political party in Serbia. Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski has been the party's president since 2021. Initially known as Serbian Council Oathkeep ...
(SSZ) and
Dveri The Serbian Movement Dveri (), commonly just known as Dveri (), is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Serbia. Its current president since 2024 is Ivan Kostić, who succeeded Boško Obradović, one of the co-founders of ...
. Formed in October 2023, the NO took part in the
parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, Vojvodina provincial, and Belgrade City Assembly elections, all of which were held on 17 December 2023. During the campaign period, the NO was represented by
Boško Obradović Boško Obradović ( sr-Cyrl, Бошко Обрадовић; ; born 23 August 1976) is a Serbian politician. He is the co-founder and former president of the right-wing political party Dveri. He was the party's nominee for the 2017 and 2022 pre ...
, the president of Dveri,
Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski ( sr-Cyrl, Милица Ђурђевић Стаменковски; born 21 July 1990) is a Serbian politician who has served as minister of labour, employment, veteran, and social policy since 2025. She was prev ...
, the president of SSZ, and
Ratko Ristić Ratko (Cyrillic script: Ратко) is a male given name of Slavic origin. It is a diminutive form of the names Ratibor and Ratimir. Notable people *Ratko Čolić (1918–1999), Serbian footballer * Ratko Dautovski, Macedonian percussionist, ...
, the coalition's mayoral candidate for Belgrade. The election coalition was unsuccessful; it failed to cross the threshold and lost all of its representation in the bodies. It was dissolved shortly afterwards. Despite not having any representation in the National Assembly, SSZ joined the
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
(SNS)-led government in May 2024. An
ultranationalist Ultranationalism, or extreme nationalism, is an extremist form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its specific ...
coalition, the NO was critical of the ruling SNS. It opposed the
Ohrid Agreement The Ohrid Framework Agreement (, ) was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and representatives of the Albanian minority on 13 August 2001. The agreement was signed by the country's four poli ...
, the independence of
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, and the accession of Serbia to the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
and
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
; instead, it proposed closer relations with Russia, China, and the
BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...
. NO received support from the far-right
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
, and it also organised a gathering with the Hungarian
Our Homeland Movement Our Homeland Movement ( Hungarian: ''Mi Hazánk Mozgalom'', '','' Mi Hazánk, MHM, MH) is a Hungarian far-right political party. It was founded by Ásotthalom mayor and former Jobbik Vice-President, László Toroczkai, along with other Jobbik ...
and Bulgarian Revival parties.


History


Background

The
Serbian Party Oathkeepers The Serbian Party Oathkeepers (, abbr. SSZ), commonly known as just Oathkeepers, is a far-right political party in Serbia. Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski has been the party's president since 2021. Initially known as Serbian Council Oathkeep ...
(SSZ), led by
Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski ( sr-Cyrl, Милица Ђурђевић Стаменковски; born 21 July 1990) is a Serbian politician who has served as minister of labour, employment, veteran, and social policy since 2025. She was prev ...
, and
Dveri The Serbian Movement Dveri (), commonly just known as Dveri (), is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Serbia. Its current president since 2024 is Ivan Kostić, who succeeded Boško Obradović, one of the co-founders of ...
, led by
Boško Obradović Boško Obradović ( sr-Cyrl, Бошко Обрадовић; ; born 23 August 1976) is a Serbian politician. He is the co-founder and former president of the right-wing political party Dveri. He was the party's nominee for the 2017 and 2022 pre ...
, had been cooperating as early as April 2022, when they signed a document in which they pledged to oppose any
sanctions against Russia Sanctions, economic or international, that have been imposed on Russia include: * International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–) ** Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, US legislation (2017) ** International sanc ...
that are related to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. At the press conference, Đurđević Stamenkovski added that, however, SSZ and Dveri did not sign a pre-election coalition agreement or an agreement on merging their
parliamentary groups A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...
in the
National Assembly of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
. Their cooperation was further expanded in October 2022, when, together with the National Democratic Alternative (NADA), which is composed of
New Democratic Party of Serbia The New Democratic Party of Serbia (, , abbr. NDSS), known as the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) until 2022, is a national-conservative political party in Serbia. Miloš Jovanović serves as the current president of NDSS. DSS was formed as ...
(NDSS) and
Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia The Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia (, abbr. POKS) is a monarchist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It was founded in 2017 after a split withi ...
(POKS), and the People's Party (Narodna), they signed a joint declaration for the "reintegration of
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
into the constitutional and legal order of Serbia" (''za reintegraciju KiM u ustavno-pravni poredak Srbije''). Later that month, SSZ, Dveri, NDSS, and POKS submitted a proposed resolution against introducing sanctions against Russia in the National Assembly. Beginning in January 2023, SSZ, Dveri, and NADA organised protests and called for the rejection of the
Ohrid Agreement The Ohrid Framework Agreement (, ) was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and representatives of the Albanian minority on 13 August 2001. The agreement was signed by the country's four poli ...
, a proposed agreement to normalise relations between Serbia and Kosovo. They organised protests in January and March 2023.


Formation

Inside the
City Assembly of Belgrade The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Latest election results The following are results of the 2024 Belgrad ...
, SSZ and Dveri formed a joint councillor group in September 2023, named "Serbian Movement Dveri – Serbian Party Oathkeepers – Patriotic Bloc". Đurđević Stamenkovski was presented as the group's leader, however, she said that
Radmila Vasić Radmila Vasić ( sr-cyr, Радмила Васић; born 14 December 1967) is a Serbian politician. She served in the Serbian parliament from 2022 to 2024 and the Belgrade city assembly from 2022 to 2023. Formerly a prominent member of Dveri, Vas ...
would instead act as its main spokesperson. A month later, on 4 October 2023, SSZ and Dveri formed the Serbian State-Building Bloc (SDB). Alongside Đurđević Stamenkovski and Obradović,
Miloš Ković Miloš Ković ( sr-cyr, Милош Ковић; born 13 May 1969) is a Serbian historian and university professor at Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. Biography Ković spent one year of his postgraduate studies at University of Oxfo ...
, a historian and professor at the
Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
, was also one of its initiators; Obradović also added that academics Dušan Proroković,
Ratko Ristić Ratko (Cyrillic script: Ратко) is a male given name of Slavic origin. It is a diminutive form of the names Ratibor and Ratimir. Notable people *Ratko Čolić (1918–1999), Serbian footballer * Ratko Dautovski, Macedonian percussionist, ...
, and Valentina Arsić Arsenijević were also part of the bloc, despite not attending the press conference. SSZ and Dveri announced that they would take part together in the upcoming elections, and they invited NADA, Narodna, and "other extra-parliamentary and parliamentary parties that are opposed to the hrid Agreementto join the bloc" (''druge vanparlamentarne i parlamentarne činioce koji se protive francusko nemačkom predlogu da postanu deo ovog bloka''). SSZ and Dveri announced on 9 October that they had begun talks with NADA, Narodna, and other extra-parliamentary parties to expand SDB for the upcoming elections.
Miloš Jovanović Miloš Jovanović (, ; born 19 August 1976) is a Serbian politician, lawyer, and a political scientist. He has been the president of the New Democratic Party of Serbia, formerly known as the Democratic Party of Serbia, since 2017, previously se ...
, the president of NDSS, did not rule out NADA joining SDB; he also said that "if it does not happen it will not be a drama" (''i ako se ne desi nije drama''). Further talks between SSZ, Dveri, NDSS, POKS, and Narodna were held in late October 2023; however, Stefan Stamenkovski, on behalf of SSZ, rejected the proposed document to create a single electoral list for the 2023 parliamentary election. Đurđević Stamenkovski herself said that "they had multiple constructive discussions" (''imali su nekoliko konstruktivnih razgovora'') but that there would not be a single electoral list consisting of SSZ, Dveri, NDSS, POKS, and Narodna. Following these negotiations, Ković disassociated himself with SSZ and Dveri.


Elections and aftermath

On 27 October, SSZ and Dveri presented Ristić as their mayoral candidate for the elections in Belgrade. Once the elections were called on 1 November, SSZ and Dveri announced that they would contest the elections under the National Gathering (NO) label instead. The Republic Electoral Commission confirmed their electoral list on 5 November, with Đurđević Stamenkovski as the ballot holder. For the Belgrade City Assembly election, their electoral list was confirmed on 13 November. Their electoral list for the Vojvodina provincial election was confirmed on 27 November. NO held its last campaign convention on 10 December. In the elections, NO failed to cross the
electoral threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of votes that a candidate or political party requires before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can operate in various ...
, and thus it lost representation in the
National Assembly of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
and the
City Assembly of Belgrade The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Latest election results The following are results of the 2024 Belgrad ...
and failed to gain representation in the
Assembly of Vojvodina The Assembly of Vojvodina ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина Војводине, Skupština Vojvodine), officially known as the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (; ; ; ; Pannonian Rusyn: Скупштина Автономней Покр ...
. Subsequently, Obradović resigned as president of Dveri and announced his retirement from national politics. Ristić also defected to the
We – Power of the People The We – Power of the People (, abbr. MI–SN) is a political movement and parliamentary group in Serbia led by Branimir Nestorović, pulmonologist, publicist and conspiracy theorist. The MI–SN parliamentary group consists of 6 deputies electe ...
(MI–SN) organisation of
Branimir Nestorović Branimir Nestorović ( sr-cyrl, Бранимир Несторовић; born 16 December 1954) is a Serbian politician, pulmonologist, conspiracy theorist, and retired university professor serving as the member of the National Assembly (Serbia), ...
. The coalition was eventually dissolved on 30 December. SSZ changed its perception of SNS after the elections. It was initially announced that SSZ would join the People's Movement for the State and that it would contest the
local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
in
Prokuplje Prokuplje ( sr-Cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 38,054 inhabitants. Prokuplje is one of the Roman sites of Serb ...
and
Pirot Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
with SNS. Later, in April 2024, SSZ announced that it would contest the
2024 Belgrade City Assembly election Local elections were held in Belgrade on 2 June 2024 amidst reports of irregularities during the 2023 City Assembly election. The election was called after the constitutive session of the City Assembly of Belgrade failed to meet quorum after th ...
with SNS and the
Socialist Party of Serbia The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006. SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
. In this election, SSZ regained one seat in the City Assembly of Belgrade. Ristić also became a councillor, on behalf of MI–SN. Amidst the campaign, Đurđević Stamenkovski was appointed a minister in the new government of Serbia.


Ideology and platform

A political coalition composed of SSZ and Dveri,
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
ultranationalist Ultranationalism, or extreme nationalism, is an extremist form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its specific ...
and
ultraconservative Ultraconservatism refers to extreme conservative views in politics or religious practice. In modern politics, ''ultraconservative'' usually refers to conservatives of the far-right on the political spectrum, comprising groups or individuals wh ...
parties, NO was opposed to the implementation of the proposed Ohrid Agreement. Although in opposition to the ruling
Serbian Progressive Party The Serbian Progressive Party (, SNS) is a major populist, catch-all party, catch-all List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It has been the Ruling party, ruling party since 2012. Miloš Vučević, the former prime mi ...
, NO was also critical of pro-European parties and refused to cooperate with them. At the October 2023 press conference, Obradović also declared that it is important to "preserve the domestic economy, agriculture, family, and traditional values, as well as respect for the Constitution of Serbia" (''očuvanja domaće privrede i poljoprivrede, porodičnih i tradicionalnih vrednosti kao i poštovanja Ustava Srbije''). Đurđević Stamenkovski said that the main vision of the bloc was to gather nationalist parties. At its second press conference in
Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...
, the RTV Kragujevac described NO's main principles as "fighting for a sovereign, independent Serbia with a national economy, agriculture, and education" (''suverena, nezavisna Srbija sa nacionalnom ekonomijom, agrarom i prosvetom''). While campaigning in
Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
, Obradović said that NO would "defend and preserve
Kosovo and Metohija The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (APKM) (; ), commonly known as Kosovo (; ) and abbreviated to Kosmet (from '' Kosovo'' and '' Metohija''; ) or KiM (), is an autonomous province that occupies the southernmost corner of Serbia, ...
as part of Serbia,
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
, oppose sanctions against Russia and Serbia's membership in
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
, and protect the environment" (''odbrana i očuvanje Kosova i Metohije u sastavu Srbije, Republike Srpske, ne sankcijama Rusiji i članstvu Srbije u NATO paktu, i ..zaštiti životne sredine''). NO's campaign was largely focused on opposing the Ohrid Agreement, preserving traditional values and Kosovo as part of Serbia, supporting Republika Srpska and Serbs in neighbouring regions, and supporting ecological patriotism. Obradović, on behalf of NO, stated his support for greater incentives for domestic businessmen and farmers. NO also expressed their support for retaining close relations with China due to their positions towards Kosovo. Đurđević Stamenkovski said that NO would want Serbia to become a member of
BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...
. Regarding the Belgrade election, Ristić campaigned on combating corruption, drug addiction, impurity, and revamping the public transport. With Đurđević Stamenkovski leading the delegation, the far-right
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
(AfD) voiced its support for NO during the delegation's visit in Germany in November 2023. The Ravna Gora Movement and Mladen Obradović of the clerical-fascist Obraz organisation also expressed their support for the coalition. In December 2023, NO organised a gathering in Belgrade, featuring far-right parties AfD, Hungarian
Our Homeland Movement Our Homeland Movement ( Hungarian: ''Mi Hazánk Mozgalom'', '','' Mi Hazánk, MHM, MH) is a Hungarian far-right political party. It was founded by Ásotthalom mayor and former Jobbik Vice-President, László Toroczkai, along with other Jobbik ...
, and Bulgarian Revival. Đurđević Stamenkovski and Obradović met with
Maria Zakharova Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (, ; born 24 December 1975) is a Russian politician who serves as the director of the information and press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federa ...
, the spokesperson of the foreign ministry of Russia, on 1 December.


Members

NO was composed of SSZ and Dveri. In the
National Assembly of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
, SSZ had 8 members and Dveri had 6, while in the
City Assembly of Belgrade The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. Latest election results The following are results of the 2024 Belgrad ...
, the SSZ–Dveri councillor group had 5 members.


Electoral performance


Parliamentary elections


Provincial elections


Belgrade City Assembly elections


Notes


References

{{Serbian political parties 2023 disestablishments in Serbia 2023 establishments in Serbia Conservative parties in Serbia Defunct political party alliances in Serbia Far-right politics in Serbia Nationalist parties in Serbia Political parties disestablished in 2023 Political parties established in 2023 Serb nationalist parties Ultraconservative political parties