Kostunica, Vojislav, << kosh TOON eet zah, VOY yee slahv >> (1944-…), served as prime minister of Serbia from 2004 to 2008. He had served as president of Yugoslavia from 2000 to 2003.
Vojislav Kostunica was born in Belgrade on April 24, 1944. He graduated from Belgrade University Law School in 1966 and earned a master’s degree there in 1970. In 1974, Kostunica was fired from his job as a lecturer at the school after he defended a professor who had criticized Yugoslavia’s Communist regime. Kostunica earned his doctorate degree in 1976.
Kostunica continued to study politics and to advocate democratic reforms. By the late 1980’s, Yugoslavia began moving toward a multiparty political system. Kostunica helped found the Democratic Party in 1989. In 1992, Kostunica left that party to establish the Democratic Party of Serbia, which supported Serbian nationalist efforts. Serbia was one of the republics of Yugoslavia, and Serbians were one of the country’s main ethnic groups. Kostunica served in Serbia’s legislature from 1990 to 1997.
Yugoslavia’s other ethnic groups began fighting for independence in the 1990’s. Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic and others sought to suppress these factions, promote Serbian control of Yugoslavia, and expand Serbia’s borders. Kostunica supported Serbian nationalism but did not support Milosevic’s policy of ethnic cleansing—the effort to rid Serbian-held areas of non-Serbs.
Milosevic became president of Yugoslavia in 1997. In 2000, he scheduled presidential elections for September of that year, earlier than expected. He hoped for an easy reelection victory against a disorganized opposition. However, most of the groups who opposed Milosevic united to back Kostunica. Kostunica won a majority of the votes. Milosevic claimed that Kostunica had not received more than 50 percent of the votes cast and demanded a runoff election. The opposition claimed outright victory, and protesters flooded the streets of Serbia’s major cities to support Kostunica. After a few tense days, Milosevic conceded defeat, and Kostunica was sworn in as Yugoslavia’s new president.
As president, Kostunica struggled with the aftermath of the years of civil war and unrest. His administration decided to cooperate with United Nations (UN) war crimes tribunals, despite opposition from many of Yugoslavia’s people. The government handed over Milosevic and other suspects to UN courts. Milosevic died in prison in 2006 before his trial ended.
Kostunica worked to prevent Montenegro from splitting with Serbia and becoming a separate country. In 2003, Yugoslavia revised its constitution and changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro. However, in a referendum held in May 2006, Montenegrins voted to separate from Serbia. Shortly after the referendum, Montenegro declared independence. Serbia then declared its own independence.
Serbia’s southern region of Kosovo declared its independence on Feb. 17, 2008. Kostunica and the Serbian government opposed this move, but most member countries of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations recognized Kosovo’s independence. In March 2008, Serbia’s government collapsed over disagreements concerning Kosovo’s independence and Serbia’s path toward joining the EU. Kostunica resigned after members of his coalition refused to stop pursuing entrance into the EU. Kostunica and his supporters wanted to suspend Serbia’s application to the EU until all EU member nations acknowledged that Kosovo was part of Serbia.
See also Yugoslavia .
