Vojislav Koštunica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vojislav Koštunica
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Војислав Коштуница
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Koštunica in 2006
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| 8th Prime Minister of Serbia | |
| In office 4 March 2004 – 7 July 2008 |
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| President | Dragan Maršićanin (acting) Vojislav Mihailović (acting) Predrag Marković (acting) Boris Tadić |
| Deputy | Miroljub Labus Ivana Dulić-Marković Božidar Đelić |
| Preceded by | Zoran Živković |
| Succeeded by | Mirko Cvetković |
| 4th President of FR Yugoslavia | |
| In office 7 October 2000 – 7 March 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Momir Bulatović Zoran Žižić Dragiša Pešić |
| Preceded by | Slobodan Milošević |
| Succeeded by | Svetozar Marović (as President of Serbia and Montenegro) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1944 Belgrade, German-occupied Serbia |
| Political party | DS (1990–1992) DSS (1992–2014) |
| Spouses |
Zorica Radović
(m. 1976; Ljiljana Lazarević
(m. 2018) |
| Alma mater | University of Belgrade |
| Signature |  |
Vojislav Koštunica (born March 24, 1944) is a former Serbian politician. He was the last president of FR Yugoslavia from 2000 to 2003. Later, he served as the prime minister of Serbia from 2004 to 2008.
Koštunica became president after winning the 2000 election. This led to a big change in Serbia and the end of international rules against Yugoslavia. He was not in favor of working with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This court looked into serious crimes from past conflicts. His political party even left the government because a former leader was sent to this court.
After a new election in 2003, Koštunica became prime minister. He helped create the first constitution for an independent Serbia. He also declared Serbia a neutral country. During his second time as prime minister, he did not want to sign an agreement with the European Union. This disagreement led to his government falling apart.
He was a founder and the first leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He led the party from 1992 until 2014. He left politics after his party did not get enough votes in the 2014 election.
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Early Life and School
Vojislav Koštunica was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on March 24, 1944. As a child, people called him 'Voja'. He went to school in Belgrade. He finished elementary school and high school there.
In 1962, he started studying law at the University of Belgrade. He finished his first degree in 1966. He then earned a master's degree in 1970. In 1974, he got his Ph.D. His Ph.D. paper was about how different groups can oppose the government in a capitalist system.
Koštunica worked as a teaching assistant at the university from 1970 to 1974. He left his job because he had criticized the communist government. After leaving the university, he worked at research institutes. There, he focused on protecting human rights, like the freedom to think and speak.
Political Journey
Koštunica helped start the Democratic Party in 1989. In 1992, he left this party because of different ideas among the leaders. He then formed his own party, the Democratic Party of Serbia.
President of Yugoslavia (2000–2003)
In 2000, many different political groups supported Koštunica. They wanted him to run for president against the leader at the time, Slobodan Milošević. Koštunica won the election with just over half the votes. Milošević disagreed with the results.
But a student movement called Otpor organized protests. Thousands of people in Serbia went on strike and took over parts of Belgrade. This pressure made Milošević accept the election results. Koštunica then became president. He was the last president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Koštunica did not support sending Milošević to the international court in The Hague.
Prime Minister of Serbia (2004–2008)
In March 2004, Koštunica became the prime minister of Serbia. He led a new government, which was supported by the Socialist Party of Serbia.
After elections in January 2007, it was hard to form a new government. On May 15, 2007, Koštunica agreed to form a government with Boris Tadić. Koštunica stayed as Prime Minister. Tadić's party got many positions in the government.
On March 8, 2008, Koštunica called for new elections. This happened because his government disagreed about relations with the European Union. They also disagreed about Kosovo declaring itself independent. Pro-EU parties won the new elections in May. On July 7, a new government was formed. Mirko Cvetković took over as Prime Minister.
Political Views
Koštunica is a conservative politician. He strongly disliked communism. He also often criticized Western countries, especially the United States and the European Union. He once said his views were similar to those of Charles de Gaulle, a former French president.
Views on Kosovo
On February 21, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence. Koštunica gave a powerful speech in Belgrade. He said that Kosovo is a part of Serbia and always will be. He believed that no Serb should ever say anything different. He spoke about important Serbian churches and places in Kosovo. He said these places show where Serbs come from.
After his speech, some protesters attacked embassies and stores. On February 25, 2008, Koštunica asked the United States to take back its recognition of Kosovo. He warned that there would be no peace until this "fake state" was undone.
Views on the European Union
On April 4, 2008, Koštunica said that joining the European Union was no longer a goal for Serbia. He believed that Serbia and the EU needed to talk about Serbia's land borders first.
He strongly felt that Serbia should not sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). He called it "Solana's agreement." He said it was not good for Serbia's interests.
On April 21, 2008, Koštunica said the SAA was for the EU's benefit, not Serbia's. He also stated that signing it would not mean Serbia recognized Kosovo's independence. He believed that people were hiding something about the agreement. He asked who in Serbia would ignore these facts.
On April 27, 2008, he said that anyone who signed the SAA for Serbia would be helping to break Serbia apart. He called the agreement "a trick" and "a forgery." He vowed to cancel it after the election. He said signing it was against Serbia's constitution and harmful to the country.
See also
- Democratic Party of Serbia
- Cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica (2004–2007)
- Cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica II (2007–2008)
