Gorica Gajevic

BIOGRAPHY: The SPS general secretary was born in 1958 in Valjevo. She's been living in Raska since she was five. She worked as an assistant and later a judge in the Raska municipal court from 1982 to 1989. She is employed by the Srbijasume public enterprise. She is divorced.

CAREER: She took part in the SPS founding congress. She was the president of the SPS Raska Municipal Board from 1990 to 1992 and a member in the Federal Chamber of Citizens (lower house) from 1990 to 1993. She became the head of the SPS parliamentary team in 1995 after the resignation of Milorad Vucelic. Gajevic was appointed vice-president of the Federal Chamber of the Republics (upper house) at the initiative of her party comrade Zoran Andjelkovic a.k.a. Baki, who said that "she needs no reference for that post as the SPS general secretary". Gajevic became the SPS general secretary on March 2nd, 1996, as a replacement for Milomir Minic. Nebojsa Covic and Dusan Mihajlovic say that she masterminded "the legal aspect" of the 1996 election affair.

AN ELECTION PROPHET:
1) "I am convinced that the 1996 elections will confirm the domination of the Socialist Party of Serbia. What’s more, I expect that this victory will be even more convincing than the last one.
2) "I am certain that we will not need a coalition partner to form a new government (1996).
3) " The predictions that the JUL and the New Democracy (ND) are unable to achieve a census are mistaken. I am convinced that the JUL now has a good chance of being represented in parliament (1996).
4) "I expect the elections to bring an overwhelming victory for the SPS, the rise of the left-wing and a stable federal parliament led by the left-wing. The center parties will find a place in this new parliament, while the right-wing will disappear from the scene.
5) “I am sure that you will vote in such a way to help Serbia become a developed, free, stable and independent country of wealthy individuals and enterprises in the 21st century".

A HISTORIAN: Gajevic's favorite hobby is tennis. She also likes literature, karate and history. She demonstrated her knowledge of history in the Belgrade daily Borba in November 1995, when she tried to explain how the former Yugoslavia fell apart and what the rump Yugoslavia was doing at Dayton. "We believed that the former Yugoslavia was a country offering international reputation to all its nations, including the Serbs. When the crisis and subsequently the war erupted, we didn't have a national program in the sense that we wanted the Serbs to be the ruling nation in any way. We wanted them to be equal to other ethnic communities, namely the Croats and the Moslems. In this struggle for equality, we offered as much help as we possibly could. When this equality was achieved, we maintained that we ought to start peace talks. The talks did eventually get underway, but they should have started sooner".

THE HAGUE: "We had to say no to The Hague, we had every reason to. I still believe that we are in a much better negotiating position here in Dayton".

NO FOR KOSOVO, AGAIN: This is a question of freedom, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national dignity, our sacred values that will never be traded or compromised in Serbia".

EXPERIENCE AND LUCK: "We were lucky enough to see the bad experiences of the neighboring countries, as we were able to learn from their mistakes. The most important thing is that we have preserved and cashed in on this social capital.

THE LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE RADICALS: "I always said that we never had a coalition going with them. It's just that at one point, we came close in the protection of Serbian interests. However, it soon became obvious that they have got a lot of fascist ideas and that they are not truly concerned with Serbia's national interest".

THE MEDIA:
1) "Being in the media is not enough, we've got to be there in the right way".
2) I think the SPS is too lenient on primitive and hear-say stories. I feel that we should make amendments to the law on media and sanction such criminal acts".
3) The populations of towns where the opposition won the local elections prefer media such as the Deutche Welle and the Voice of America to their own. That will cost the opposition very dearly in the next elections and eradicate them from the political scene".

HER PRIVATE LIFE: "I can no longer go to bohemian joints where I met many interesting people, heard witty stories and learned a lot". The things she learned probably include the following observations:
1) "Differences between sexes are insignificant, while men differ from each other in expressing their emotions. Some are braver than others in doing it".
2) My hairstyle is my own piece of work, because I have high quality hair. I get haircuts at lots of places and of course I pay for them. At special occasions like the party congress, I wear Chanel designed by Karl Lagerfeld. No, I am not a snob".

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT: "The Socialist Party's eight-year history has been marked by decisive moments for our people and country".