Government & politics — Serbia

the origin of the name in uncertain, but seems to be related to the name of the West Slavic Sorbs who reside in the Lusatian region in present-day eastern Germany; by tradition, the Serbs migrated from that region to the Balkans in about the 6th century A.D.

• 5 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)
• notable earlier dates: 1217 (Serbian Kingdom established)
• 16 April 1346 (Serbian Empire established)
• 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Serbian independence)
• 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) established)

• history: many previous; latest adopted 30 September 2006, approved by referendum 28-29 October 2006,
• effective 8 November 2006 amendments: proposed by at least one third of deputies in the National Assembly, by the president of the republic, by the government, or by petition of at least 150,000 voters; passage of proposals and draft amendments each requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly; amendments to constitutional articles including the preamble, constitutional principles, and human and minority rights and freedoms also require passage by simple majority vote in a referendum

• chief of state: Pres
• Prime Minister Djuro MACUT (since 16 April 2025) cabinet: Cabinet
• elected by the National Assembly election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minist
• er elected by the National Assembly most recent election date: 17
• December 2023 election results: 2022: Aleksandar VUCIC reelected in first round; percent of vote - Aleksandar VUCIC (SNS) 60%, Zdravko PONOS (US) 18.9%, Milos JOVANOVIC (NADA) 6.1%, Bosko OBRADOVIC (Dveri-POKS) 4.5%, Milica DJURDJEVIC STAMENKOVSKI (SSZ) 4.3%, other 6.2% 2017: Aleksandar VUCIC elected president in first round; percent of vote - Aleksandar VUCIC (SNS) 55.1%, Sasa JANKOVIC (independent) 16.4%, Luka MAKSIMOVIC (independent) 9.4%, Vuk JEREMIC (independent) 5.7%, Vojislav SESELJ (SRS) 4.5%, other 7.3%, invalid/blank 1.6%; Prime Minister Ana BRNABIC reelected by the National Assembly on 5 October 2020;
• National Assembly vote - NA expected date of next election: 2028

Description

unicameral National Assembly or Narodna Skupstina (250 seats; members directly elected by party list proportional representation vote in a single nationwide constituency to serve 4-year terms)

Elections

last held on 17 December 2023 (next to be held in 2027)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 48%, SPN 24.4%, SPS-JS-ZS 6.7%, NADA 5.2%, MI-GIN 4.8%, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 1.7%, SPP-DSHV 0.8%, SDAS 0.6%, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 0.4%, RS-NKPJ 0.3%, other 7.1%
• seats by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 128, SPN 65, SPS-JS-ZS 18, NADA 13, MI-GIN 13, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 6, SPP-DSHV 3, SDAS 2, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 1, RS-NKPJ 1;

Composition

• men NA, women NA
• percent of women NA%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of 36 judges, including the court president); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court pre
• sident and vice president) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court justices proposed by the High Judicial Council (HJC), an 11-member independent body consisting of 8 judges elected by the National Assembly and 3 ex-officio members; justices appointed by the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges elected - 5 each by the National Assembly, the president, and the Supreme Court of Cassation; initial appointment of Supreme Court judges by the HJC is 3 years and beyond that period tenure is permanent; Constituti
• onal Court judges elected for 9-year terms subordinate courts: basic courts, higher courts, appellate courts; courts of special jurisdiction include the Administrative Court, commercial courts, and misdemeanor courts

117 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina) and 28 cities (gradovi, singular - grad) municipalities: Ada*, Aleksandrovac, Aleksinac, Alibunar*, Apatin*, Arandelovac, Arilje, Babusnica, Bac*, Backa Palanka*, Backa Topola*, Backi Petrovac*, Bajina Basta, Batocina, Becej*, Bela Crkva*, Bela Palanka, Beocin*, Blace, Bogatic, Bojnik, Boljevac, Bosilegrad, Brus, Bujanovac, Cajetina, Cicevac, Coka*, Crna Trava, Cuprija, Despotovac, Dimitrov, Doljevac, Gadzin Han, Golubac, Gornji Milanovac, Indija*, Irig*, Ivanjica, Kanjiza*, Kladovo, Knic, Knjazevac, Koceljeva, Kosjeric, Kovacica*, Kovin*, Krupanj, Kucevo, Kula*, Kursumlija, Lajkovac, Lapovo, Lebane, Ljig, Ljubovija, Lucani, Majdanpek, Mali Idos*, Mali Zvornik, Malo Crnice, Medveda, Merosina, Mionica, Negotin, Nova Crnja*, Nova Varos, Novi Becej*, Novi Knezevac*, Odzaci*, Opovo*, Osecina, Paracin, Pecinci*, Petrovac na Mlavi, Plandiste*, Pozega, Presevo, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raca, Raska, Razanj, Rekovac, Ruma*, Secanj*, Senta*, Sid*, Sjenica, Smederevska Palanka, Sokobanja, Srbobran*, Sremski Karlovci*, Stara Pazova*, Surdulica, Svilajnac, Svrljig, Temerin*, Titel*, Topola, Trgoviste, Trstenik, Tutin, Ub, Varvarin, Velika Plana, Veliko Gradiste, Vladicin Han, Vladimirci, Vlasotince, Vrbas*, Vrnjacka Banja, Zabalj*, Zabari, Zagubica, Zitiste*, Zitorada cities: Beograd (Belgrade), Bor, Cacak, Jagodina, Kikinda*, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Krusevac, Leskovac, Loznica, Nis, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad*, Pancevo*, Pirot, Pozarevac, Prokuplje, Sabac, Smederevo, Sombor*, Sremska Mitrovica*, Subotica*, Uzice, Valjevo, Vranje, Vrsac*, Zajecar, Zrenjanin* note: the northern 37 municipalities and 8 cities - about 28% of Serbia's area - compose the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and are indicated with *

• Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM or VMSZ [Shepherd BALINT, acting]
• Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina or DSHV [Tomislav ZIGMANOV]
• Democratic Party or DS [Zoran LUTOVAC]
• Ecological Uprising or EU [Aleksandar JOVANOVIC]
• Green - Left Front or ZLF [Radomir LAZOVIC, Biljana DORDEVIC]
• Greens of Serbia or ZS [Ivan KARIC]
• Justice and Reconciliation Party or SPP [Usame ZUKORLIC] (formerly Bosniak Democratic Union of Sandzak or BDZS)
• Movement for Reversal or PZP [Janko VESELINOVIC]
• Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia or POKS [Vojislav MIHAILOVIC]
• Movement of Free Citizens or PSG [Pavle GRBOVIC]
• Movement of Socialists or PS [Aleksandar VULIN]
• National Democratic Alternative or NADA [Milos JOVANOVIC and Vojislav MIHAILOVIC] (electoral coalition includes NDSS and POKS)
• New Communist Party of Yugoslavia or NKPJ [Aleksandar BANJANAC]
• New Democratic Party of Serbia or NDSS or New DSS [Milos JOVANOVIC] (formerly Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS)
• New Face of Serbia or NLS [Milos PARANDICOVIC]
• Party of Democratic Action of the Sandzak or SDAS [Sulejman UGLJANIN]
• Party of Freedom and Justice or SSP [Dragan DJILAS]
• Party of United Pensioners, Farmers, and Proletarians of Serbia – Solidarity and Justice or PUPS - Solidarity and Justice [Milan KRKOBABIC] (formerly Party of United Pensioners of Serbia or PUPS)
• People's Movement of Serbia or NPS [Miroslav ALEKSIC]
• People's Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija or Fatherland [Stavica RISTIC]
• People's Peasant Party or NSS [Marijan RISTICEVIC]
• Political Battle of the Albanians Continues [Shaip KAMBERI]
• Russian Party or RS [Slobodan NIKOLIC]
• Serbia Against Violence or SPN [collective leadership] (electoral coalition includes DS, SSP, ZLF, Zajedno, NPS, PSG, EU, PZP, USS Sloga, NLS, Fatherland]
• Serbia Must Not Stop [Milenko JOVANOV] (electoral coalitions includes SNS, SDPS, PUPS, PSS, SNP, SPO, PS, NSS, USS)
• Serbian People's Party or SNP [Nenad POPOVIC]
• Serbian Progressive Party or SNS [Miloš VUCEVIC]
• Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC]
• Social Democratic Party of Serbia or SDPS [Rasim LJAJIC]
• Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC]
• Strength of Serbia or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]
• Together or ZAJEDNO [Biljana STOJKOVIC, Nebojsa ZELENOVIC]
• United Peasant Party or USS [Milija MILETIC]
• United Serbia or JS [Dragan MARKOVIC]
• United Trade Unions of Serbia "Sloga" or USS Sloga [Zeljko VESELINOVIC]
• We - The Voice from the People or MI-GIN [collective leadership)
• Note: Serbia has more than 110 registered political parties and citizens' associations

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one p
• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years

BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) note: Serbia is an EU candidate country whose satisfactory completion of accession criteria is required before being granted full EU membership

chief of mission

Ambassador Christopher R. HILL (since 1 April 2022) embassy: 92 Bulevar kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica, 11040 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070

telephone

[381] (11) 706-4000

FAX

[381] (11) 706-4481

Email address and website

• belgradeacs@state.gov
• https://rs.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Marko DJURIC (since 18 January 2021)

chancery

1333 16th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036

telephone

[1] (202) 507-8654

FAX

[1] (202) 332-3933

Email address and website

• info@serbiaembusa.org
• http://www.washington.mfa.gov.rs/

consulate(s) general

Chicago, New York