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 (Serbian Cyrillic: Војислав Коштуница; born 24 March 1944) is a Serbian former politician. He served as the last President of FR Yugoslavia from 2000 to 2003. Later, he was the Prime Minister of Serbia from 2004 to 2008.
Koštunica won the 2000 Yugoslav presidential election. This victory led to a big change in government and the end of international rules against Yugoslavia. He did not agree with working with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). His political party even left the government when a former leader was sent to the ICTY.
After the 2003 Serbian parliamentary election, Koštunica became the head of a new government. He played a key role in creating the first constitution for an independent Serbia. He also helped declare 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 and new elections.
He helped start the Democratic Party of Serbia in 1992 and was its first leader. He left politics in 2014 after his party did not win enough votes to enter the Parliament. He later left the party due to disagreements about its direction. In November 2014, he helped start a new political group called the "Statehood Movement of Serbia." Since retiring, Koštunica has mostly stayed out of public view. However, on March 15, 2025, he attended a large protest in Serbia.
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Early Life and Education
Koštunica was born on 24 March 1944 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. People sometimes called him 'Voja' when he was young. He went to school in Belgrade, finishing elementary school and high school there. In 1962, he started studying law at the University of Belgrade. He earned his first degree in 1966. He continued his studies, getting a master's degree in 1970 and a Ph.D. in 1974. His Ph.D. paper was about how opposition groups work in political systems.
From 1970 to 1974, Koštunica worked as an assistant at the university. He left because of political reasons. He had criticized the communist government at the time. After leaving the university, he worked at institutes focused on social sciences and philosophy. There, he worked to protect human rights, especially the freedom to think and speak openly.
Political Career
Koštunica was one of the first members of the Democratic Party when it started in 1989. In 1992, he left this party because he had different ideas about leadership. He then formed his own party, the Democratic Party of Serbia.
President of Yugoslavia (2000–2003)
In the 2000 presidential election, many different groups supported Koštunica. He ran against the leader at the time, Slobodan Milošević. Koštunica won more than 50% of the votes in the first round. Milošević disagreed with the results, saying Koštunica had not won enough votes.
A student-led group called Otpor organized protests. Thousands of Serbians went on strike and took over parts of Belgrade. This forced Milošević to accept the election results and step down. Koštunica then became the President. He was the last president of the country known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Koštunica did not support sending Milošević to the Hague Tribunal. He often spoke against the court.
Prime Minister of Serbia (2004–2008)
In March 2004, Koštunica became Prime Minister. He led a new government, which was supported by the Socialist Party of Serbia.
After the Serbian parliamentary elections in January 2007, it was hard to form a government. On May 15, 2007, Koštunica agreed to form a government with Boris Tadić. Koštunica remained Prime Minister, and Tadić's party received many government positions.
On March 8, 2008, Koštunica called for new elections to be held on May 11. This happened because his party's government partnership broke apart. The main reasons were disagreements about relations with the European Union and Kosovo's declaration of independence. Pro-European parties won the new elections. On July 7, a new government was formed, and Mirko Cvetković took over as Prime Minister from Koštunica.
Political Views
Koštunica is a conservative politician. He strongly disagreed with communism. He also often criticized Western countries, especially the United States and the European Union. In an interview, Koštunica said his views were similar to those of Charles de Gaulle.
On Kosovo
On February 21, 2008, after 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 stated that Serbs would never give up their claim to Kosovo. He mentioned important Serbian historical and religious sites in Kosovo, saying they belong to Serbia. After his speech, some protestors attacked embassies and looted shops.
On February 25, 2008, Koštunica asked the United States to change its decision to recognize Kosovo. He warned that there would be no peace until Kosovo's independence was cancelled.
On the European Union
On April 4, 2008, Koštunica said that joining the European Union was no longer a priority for Serbia. He believed that Serbia and the EU needed to discuss Serbia's borders first.
He strongly stated that Serbia should not sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). He called it "Solana's agreement," referring to Javier Solana, a European official.
On April 21, 2008, Koštunica said the SAA was good for some EU officials but not for Serbia. He also said that signing it would not mean Serbia recognized Kosovo's independence. He believed that only certain political parties would be responsible for signing it.
On April 27, 2008, he said that anyone who signed the SAA for Serbia would be helping to break Serbia apart. He also suggested that something was being hidden in the agreement. He asked who in Serbia would ignore these facts and hide the true goal of the agreement.
On April 28, 2008, he said that the signature would not be valid for Serbia. He added that whoever signed the SAA would be responsible for their actions.
On May 1, 2008, Koštunica agreed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov had said the SAA should have been signed before Kosovo declared independence. The next day, May 2, 2008, Koštunica promised to cancel the agreement after the election. He called it a "trick" and "Solana's agreement." He said that signing the SAA was against Serbia's constitution and would lead to the country's breakup. A spokesperson for Koštunica's party said that signing the agreement was like a betrayal. On May 4, he called the document "a fake and a trick."
See also
In Spanish: Vojislav Koštunica para niños
- Democratic Party of Serbia
- Cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica (2004–2007)
- Cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica II (2007–2008)
