Presidential Candidates

According to daily press reports, the following individuals have announced their candidacies, but have not submitted the required documents to the Elections Committee of the Republic at the time of the writing of this text (Wednesday): Predrag Vuletic, President of the Liberal Democratic Party from Valjevo; Milan Mladenovic, candidate for Coalition Rebearth; Sinan Hudovic, machine shop worker from Novi Pazar and President of the Yugoslav Workers Party "Josip Broz Tito". VREME has gathered for its readers all the biographical information and elections promises of the different pretenders to the position of President of the Republic of Serbia.

Vojislav Seselj

Biographical Information: Born in Sarajevo on October 11, 1954. Married, father of three. Graduated from the University of Sarajevo Law School in 1976 and successfully defended his doctoral dissertation "Political Foundations of Militarism and Fascism: A Contribution to the Analysis of Political Forms of Civil Autocracy in Marxist Criticism" (1979). Assistant at the University of Sarajevo from 1981-1984, and nominated for Assistant Professor at the University of Pristina (1991-1992). Founder of the Serbian Radical Party, MP in the Serbian Parliament (1991-1993), MP and Head of the Radical Club in the Yugoslav Parliament since 1992. Political prisoner sentenced to 8 years confinement in Sarajevo, of which he served 22 months. Author of over fifty works of propaganda. Claims to have participated in the war in Yugoslavia since 1991.

Candidate For: Serbian Radical Party

Pomises: "The people do not need empty words and promises, but concrete solutions to getting out of the economic crisis and social poverty", "SRS of Serbia does not build castles in the air and does not offer the impossible, but guarantees a lot of work, effort and sweat and blood, and an honest and responsible government".

Elections Slogan: "Vote for good husbandry in Serbia!"

Vuk Draskovic

Biographical Information: Born in the village of Medja (Banat) on November 29, 1946. Married. Graduated from the University of Belgrade Law School in 1968, worked as a journalist and correspondent for the Tanjug Agency in Africa, Consultant in the Press Section of the Yugoslav Federation of Unions (1978-1980), Editor of the journal Rad (1980-1985), writer (Petit Bourgeois, The Judge, The Knife, Night of the Generals, Russian Council, Prayer, Whither Serbia, Answers). Founder and President of the Serbian Renewal Movement. As SPO candidate in the 1990 presidential elections, recieved 824,674 votes. MP and Head of SPO MP’s in the Serbian Parliament (1993-1997).

Candidate For: Serbian Renewal Movement

Promises: "I will be the president of Serbia with the shortest mandate", he will give back property and citizenship to the Karadjordjevic family and will call a referendum on the return of the monarchy to Serbia; truce between Chetnicks and Partisans; truce with Muslims and Croats; foreign investment; "a Greater Serbia based on democratic principles, wealth, improved standard of living and happiness — such a strong Serbia will once again gather around it that which drifted away and separated, because we want to unite that which has not been united thus far in the way that Germans have done that"; return of refugees to their homes.

Elections Slogan: "One for all!"

Zoran Lilic

Biographical Information: Born in Brza Planica, near Kladovo, on August 27, 1953. Married. Graduated from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy at the University of Belgrade, worked as Chief Engineer and Director of the Rekord Factory of Rubberized Products in Rakovica. Elected as MP to the Serbian Parliament in 1990, after two years became Head of SPS MP’s and in January of 1993 elected as President of the Serbian Parliament. Was President of Yugoslavia (1993-1997), and is now Vice-President of SPS.

Candidate For: Socialist Party of Serbia, Unified Left of Yugoslavia and New Democracy

Promises: "Our victory means peace, security and development for Serbia!" According to SPS sources, Zoran Lilic’s nomination has been signed by three hundred thousand citizens.

Elections Slogan: "Vote for Serbia!"

Vuk Obradovic

Biographical Information: Born in the village of Kondzelj near Prokuplje on April 11, 1947. Graduate of the Military Academy, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation "Nationalism in Modern Yugoslav Society With Special Emphasis on Nationalism in the Armed Forces". In 1990 became Head Spokesman for the Federal Secretary of Armed Forces, and in 1992 Head of the Association for Moral Education of SSNO. Stopped a successful military career in 1992 (at 44 he was the youngest General in JNA) when he resigned after not delivering on the promise given to the parents of soldiers surrounded in Sarajevo barracks that their children will return from Sarajevo by May 20, 1992. After that, became a construction contractor. One of the founders and Presidents of the Social Democratic Party.

Candidate For: Social Democratic Party

Promises: "Profound social, economic and democratic reforms through dialogue, tolerance and compromise with those who disagree".

Elections Slogan: N/A

Mile Isakov

Biographical Information: Born in Zemun on March 23, 1950. Married, father of one. Graduated from the Philosophy Faculty, Literature Department of the University of Novi Sad in 1974, and successfully defended a master’s dissertation "Influences of the Comedies of Kosta Trifkovic". Worked in the Regional Youth Committee (1971-1973) from where he was fired for his liberal, anarchic ideas. The time he spent at the Unemployment Center he used to good advantage in finishing at the university and getting a job with TV Novi Sad in 1975, from where, after a chain of suspensions, he was sent on "permanent leave of absence" in 1990, and fired in 1994. He recently won his law suit against TV NS which is forced to give him his job back and pay out all back pay according to the court’s decision. He made an offer to TV NS in which his job would stay open for him for as long as he continues receiving pay for his present position of MP (chosen in 1996 on the list of Coalition Vojvodina).

Candidate For: Coalition Vojvodina. Was president of the Society of Independent Journalists of Vojvodina (1990-1996). One of the founders of the union Independence, and leader of the reformers of Vojvodina, he is now president of RDSV Parliament and coordinator of Coalition Vojvodina, made up of RDSV, National Peasants’ Party and the League of Social Democrats.

Promises: "Some people think" that I am a provincial candidate, but "they forget that I am candidate for the Athens of Serbia — Vojvodina, which is the most developed part of Serbia and in many respects the Europe of Serbia". "It remains to be seen whether citizens will choose provincialism or Europe", "in the event of a victory, the president of Serbia will be denied many privileges he enjoys at present".

Elections Slogan: "Stop the Ripoff!"

Sulejman Ugljanin

Biographical Information: Born in Kosovska Mitrovica on November 20, 1953. Completed elementary school in Kosovska Mitrovica, highschool in Pristina, and graduated from the Faculty of Stomatology, Prosthetics Section in 1980 in Sarajevo. Married, father of three. While studying he was an adamant boxer. Muslim by nationality. In the 1990 Presidential Elections in Serbia he received 109,459 votes (fourth place). In 1994 Serbian Authorities filed a complaint against Ugljanin for separatism, terrorism and the possession of weapons. Because of that in 1993 Ugljanin fled to Turkey, coming back to Yugoslavia in 1996. He has been the President of SDA since its foundation in 1990), and since May 1991 he is President of the Muslim National Parliament. MP in the Yugoslav Parliament.

Candidate For: Coalition List for Sandzak made up of the Party of Democratic Action for Sandzak, the Liberal Bosnian Organization of Sandzak, Party for Democratic Action of Yugoslavia, the Reform Democratic Party of Sandzak and the Real Party for Democratic Action of Sandzak.

Promises: N/A

Elections Slogan: N/A

Nebojsa Covic

Biographical Information: Born in Belgrade on July 2, 1958. Married, father of two. Graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1982, completed a master’s degree in 1988, Assistant at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (1984-1990). Director of FMP from Zeleznik. Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the Parliament of Belgrade (1992), President of the Parliament of Belgrade (1993). Mayor of Belgrade (1994-1997), President of the SPS City Council (1992-1993), MP in the Serbian Parliament and President of the Council for Finance (1993-1997). Fired from SPS (1997), founder and President of the Democratic Alternative (1997). President of the Basketball Association of Yugoslavia (1995-1997).

Candidate For: Democratic Alternative

Promises: N/A

Elections Slogan: N/A

Milan Paroski

Biographical Information: Born in the village of Turija (Vojvodina) on March 4, 1957. Graduated from the Faculty of Political Science, Department of Journalism (1980). Worked as Head of the Center for Information and Propaganda of the Regional Committee of SK Vojvodian (1988-1992), founder and president of the People’s Party, MP in the Serbian Parliament (1991-1992). As presidential candidate for the People’s Party in the 1992 elections received 147,693 votes (3.31%), coming in third.

Candidate For: People’s Party

Promises: "I will make a farm out of Vojvodina!"; "Citizen’s must voice their preference for the form of government organization (republic or monarchy) in an open referendum".

Elections Promise: "I am the taxpayers’ candidate!"

Sandor Pal

Biographical Information: Born in the Village of Backo Petrovo near Becej on February 15, 1954. Married, and a father. Graduated from the Philosophy Faculty, Department of Yugoslav and World Literature, successfully defending his doctoral dissertation "Yugoslav Themes and Personalities in Hungarian Newspapers, Journals and Works of Fiction from 1780 to 1825". President of the Democratic Association of Hungarians of Vojvodina (DZVM), MP (since 1990) and Head of DAVM MP’s in the Serbian Parliament.

Candidate For: Democratic Association of Hungarians of Vojvodina

Promises: High degree of autonomy for Hungarians within existing borders.

Elections Slogan: "Slobo can only be replaced by someone better than him, and that is me!"