Vojislav Kostunica

Home > People > History > Yugoslavian History: Biographies

Vojislav Koštunica , 1944-, Serbian politician, president of Yugoslavia (2000-03) and prime minister of Serbia (2004-8) b. Belgrade. A constitutional lawyer and liberal anticommunist, he lectured at his Belgrade Univ., but was fired (1974) for his criticism of Tito . A free-speech advocate in the 1980s, he co-founded (1989) Yugoslavia's Democratic party and later founded (1992) the breakaway Democratic party of Serbia. A member of the Yugoslavian parliament (1990-97) during the years of Yugoslavia's breakup and ethnic warfare, he supported a primary role for Serbia within Yugoslavia while opposing the policies of Slobodan Milošević . In 2000, a 18-party opposition coalition picked Koštunica as its presidential candidate, and he defeated Milošević, becoming president of Yugoslavia.

As president, Koštunica rejected the idea of trying Milošević (or others involved in the atrocities of the 1990s) for war crimes. He also tried but failed to preserve the union between Serbia and Montenegro, the last remaining Yugoslavian republics, and it was ultimately dissolved in 2006. In 2003 he was elected to the Serbian parliament and became (2004) prime minister of Serbia, heading a center-right coalition, and remained in that post at the head of a revamped coalition after the 2007 elections.

While continuing to oppose the Hague tribunal process for prosecuting Yugoslavian war crimes, Koštunica has moved to fight corruption and unemployment, worked toward Serbian membership in the European Union, and emphasized the preservation of Serb rights in Bosnia and in Kosovo , where he strongly opposed any move that would lead to the region's independence. After Kosovo declared independence in Feb., 2008, he resigned and forced the calling of new elections, objecting to his coalition partners' support for joining the European Union even though Kosovo had been recognized by many EU members.

Koštunica, Vojislav (b. 24 Mar. 1944). President of Yugoslavia, 2000–  Born in Belgrade, he graduated with a doctorate in jurisprudence, and in 1970 he became a lecturer at the University of Belgrade. Four years later, he lost his position in the purges of 1974, and became an editor of political literature. He gained a seat in Yugoslavia's first multi-party elections in 1990 on a nationalist ticket. In 1992 he founded the ultra-nationalist Serbian Democratic Party, whose president he became. On this platform, he became head of a coalition of opposition parties in the 2000 presidential elections that accused Milošević of selling out his country following the Kosovo War. When it became apparent that these elections had been manipulated, he put himself at the head of a popular movement that spread quickly and forced Milošević to resign. As President of Yugoslavia, he had only limited authority over the parliaments of Serbia and Montenegro. Koštunica did oversee the peaceful relinquishing of power by Milošević's Socialist Party. He was concerned to prevent the breakup of Yugoslavia, and was often at odds with Serbia's democratically elected Prime Minister, Djindjic, about the need to accommodate the demands of the United States and the EU.