Djindjić, Zoran

Djindjić, Zoran (b. 1 Aug. 1952, d. 12 Mar. 2003). Prime Minister of Serbia, 2001–2003 Born in Bosanski Šamac, he became a student of philosophy in Belgrade. After a brief spell in prison following the 1974 purges, he continued his studies in Germany. After obtaining his doctorate there, he returned to Yugoslavia to teach philosophy at the University of Belgrade and Novi Sad. In 1990 he co-founded the Democratic Party (DP), and in the elections of that year he entered the Serbian Parliament. As leader of the DP from 1994, he worked to unite the opposition, whose candidate he became at the Belgrade local elections in 1996. When the state was unsuccessful at annulling the elections, Djindjić became the first freely-elected mayor of Belgrade since 1945. His support in the local assembly crumbled, however, and at the end of 1997 he was forced to resign. In December 2000 the opposition alliance, of which he was a prominent member, won the elections to the Serbian Parliament. As Prime Minister, he was determined in the pursuit of political, administrative and economic reform. He ordered the extradition of Milošević, and began to fight against corruption and graft. He was assassinated by members of criminal groups and nationalist security forces.