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Political party in Serbia

The Serbian Renewal Movement (, abbr. SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia. Since its formation in 1990, it has been led by writer Vuk Drašković.

Vuk Drašković was a writer for most of his life and he particularly became known in the 1980s due to his nationalist themed books. He formed the Saint Sava Association in 1989 with Mirko Jović, Vojislav Šešelj, and Veljko Guberina, which sought to promote nationalism in Vojvodina. This association became a political party named Serbian National Renewal (SNO) in January 1990. Drašković was chosen as the party's president. However, after a July 1990 referendum, Serbia adopted a multi party system and SPO became a registered political party. According to political scientist Vukašin Pavlović, SPO implemented elements of a political movement, rather than a political party, after its formation. After the July 1990 referendum, first multi party elections in Serbia were called to be held in December 1990. SPO believed that the referendum should have occurred once the multi party elections ended and the National Assembly of Serbia was constituted. Despite this, SPO decided to take part in the elections; Drašković was SPO's presidential candidate. Together with another opposition party, the Democratic Party (DS), SPO threatened to boycott the election due to the election conditions. Drašković won 16 per cent of the popular vote and was eventually defeated by Milošević in the first round of the election in a landslide. Another factor that contributed to SPO's failure at gathering more votes was that SPS also used nationalist rhetoric. Although a second round of the presidential elections did not occur, opposition parties did briefly gather around the United Opposition of Serbia coalition, signing a declaration in which they declared that citizens should vote for the opposition candidate in the second round, regardless of their party affiliation. SPO was disappointed with government's domination in the media and together with DS, it announced a protest for 9 March 1991. Despite the government banning the gathering, demonstrators gathered in Belgrade; they were attacked by the police. Author Robert Thomas said that Drašković came under criticism from certain opposition politicians due to not taking the advantage of the protests after his release. The Democratic Movement of Serbia was formed in May 1992 as a political alliance made up primarily of SPO, New Democracy (ND), Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). The political alliance however broke, and was dissolved in 1993.

The SPO was part of the "Together" (Zajedno) coalition in the 1996 parliamentary election which received 23.8% of the popular vote, losing to the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). In 1997, Drašković ran twice for president but finished third in both elections. Its party won the third largest number of seats in that year's Serbian parliamentary elections. A dissident group inside the party abandoned the SPO and formed New Serbia (NS) in 1997.

In early 1999, the SPO joined the Slobodan Milošević led government, and Drašković became a Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister. The SPO had a place in Serbia's Rambouillet Agreement delegation and held posts such as the Yugoslav Information Ministry to show a more pro Western face to the world in the run up to NATO's bombing campaign in 1999 against the country. In the midst of the war, Drašković and the SPO pulled out of the government, calling on Milošević to surrender to NATO. The SPO participated in an attempt to overthrow Milošević in 1999, which faltered after Drašković broke off his alliance with opposition leader Zoran Đinđić. This caused the anti Milošević elements to suggest that he was working for Milošević. In 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in which Milošević lost, the Serbian Renewal Movement overestimated its strength and ran independently, outside of the vast Democratic Opposition of Serbia coalition. Vojislav Mihajlović, grandson of Chetnik commander Draža Mihajlović, was its presidential candidate. He was opposed by Vojislav Koštunica of DOS, Slobodan Milošević of the ruling SPS and Tomislav Nikolić of the Serbian Radical Party. The SPO's vote collapsed, with its traditional voters drawn by Kostunica's conservatism and by the fact that he was their best hope to remove Milošević from power. There was talk before the 5. October changes of dissolving the Mirko Marjanović government in Serbia and setting up a government with the Serbian Radical Party. Following the 5. October changes the SPO participated in a so called national unity government that served effectively under DOS "coordinator" Zoran Đinđić. In December 2000, after two months of DOS rule, Serbian parliamentary elections were held. The SPO, once the strongest opposition, failed to enter the parliament.

In 2003, Drašković called for the re establishment of a parliamentary monarchy in Serbia as the best means for its European integration. The party fought the December 2003 legislative elections in a coalition with New Serbia. The coalition received 7.7% of the popular vote and 22 seats in parliament. 13 of these were allocated to the SPO. In turn, the coalition had dispatched 8 deputies into the federal Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro. SPO NS became part of Vojislav Koštunica's first elected cabinet. Vuk Drašković was selected for Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2004, nine members of the National Assembly left SPO, citing their disapproval with the party's leadership. Together with seven members of SPO's main board and two vice presidents of SPO, they formalised the Serbian Democratic Renewal Movement (SDPO). One of the 4 was then bought off by the political tycoon Bogoljub Karić to form his party's list. The SPO participated in the 2007 election independently and received 3.33% of the vote, winning no seats.

In the 2008 elections the SPO took part in the For a European Serbia coalition under President Boris Tadić, receiving 38.42% of the vote and 102 seats in parliament. Four seats were given to the SPO along with the Ministry of Diaspora portfolio.

During the 1990s, the Serbian Renewal Movement was orientated towards ultranationalism and irredentism, and it supported revisionism and anti communism. During that period, it was positioned on the right wing on the political spectrum. It was also characterised as a right wing populist party, and it was backed by the Serbian Orthodox Church. It also held conservative views. Although after the 2000s, the party rejected its radical nationalist past and statism, and embraced liberal democratic elements. It also shifted to liberalism, and it adopted a more moderate right, and centre right position. It was also described as moderate nationalist during that period. Since its inception, it has been described as monarchist, and it advocates for the restoration of parliamentary monarchy. Since the late 2000s, it has been supportive of accession of Serbia to the European Union and NATO, and in the early 2010s, it shifted its support towards the recognition of Kosovo.

+ President of Serbia Year Candidate 1st round popular vote % of popular vote 2nd round popular vote % of popular vote Notes 1990 Vuk Drašković 824,674 16.95% — — 1992 Milan Panić 1,516,693 34.65% — — Supported Panić Sep 1997 Vuk Drašković 852,808 21.46% — — Election annulled due to low turnout Dec 1997 587,776 15.74% — — Sep–Oct 2002 159,959 4.49% — — Election annulled due to low turnout Dec 2002 Election boycott Election annulled due to low turnout 2003 Election boycott Election annulled due to low turnout 2004 Dragan Maršićanin 414,971 13.47% — — Supported Maršićanin 2008 Velimir Ilić 305,828 7.57% — — Supported Ilić 2012 Čedomir Jovanović 196,668 5.27% — — Supported Jovanović 2017 Aleksandar Vučić 2,012,788 56.01% — — Supported Vučić 2022 2,224,914 60.01% — —