UntitledPolitical Context
Serbia continues to confront the legacy of Slobodan Milosevic as it struggles to lay the foundation of a democratic political system. The final chapter in Yugoslavia’s dissolution began in 2006 as Montenegro’s citizens voted for independence from Serbia and long-anticipated talks on Kosovo’s status commenced under U.N. auspices, only to falter as no political agreement could be reached. An imposed solution for Kosovo is likely and could remove the disputed province from Serbian sovereignty. Belgrade’s continuing inability to apprehend indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic spurred the European Union to suspend accession talks with Serbia. Meanwhile the country’s domestic agenda—reforming the judiciary, rooting out corruption, and modernizing the economy—has been largely sidelined as the country’s political leadership wrestles with the above questions.
The Serbian electorate is divided between those who repudiate the Milosevic legacy and want to move the country toward Euro-Atlantic integration and those who support Milosevic’s policies. Early parliamentary elections, called for January 21, 2007, will decide which direction Serbia’s citizens wish to take. The outcome of the elections may be decided by the turnout rate among reform voters who are disillusioned by continuing political instability and lack of reform progress. Pending resolution of Kosovo’s final status will keep nationalist themes at the forefront of the election campaign.
Members of Serbia’s legislature participate in NDI training on how to communicate effectively with citizens.
The country’s difficult transition to democracy highlights the importance of creating durable and effective political institutions that are responsive to the public interest regarding reform and which function on the basis of transparency and accountability.
NDI in Serbia
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy, NDI has supported Serbia’s democratic transition by advising democratic political parties on elections, organizational development, and voter outreach; NGOs on nonpartisan election monitoring and voter mobilization; and parliament on legislative capacity building. NDI programs reach every region of Serbia. Since opening its office in 1997, the Institute has worked with more than 30,000 political leaders and civic activists.
In June 2006, NDI started a four-year USAID-funded program focusing on internal party reform and voter communication; small, regional, and ethnic party development; coalition building among political parties, constituent outreach and the role of caucuses in parliament; the participation of women and youth in the political process; and technical support to NDI’s longtime civic partner, the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), on voter outreach.
Political Party Building
With 50 domestic political party trainers, NDI is promoting the long-term development of pro-reform political parties as internally democratic institutions that develop policies, platforms, and legislation based on constituent needs. Since 1997, NDI has worked with more than 15,000 activists from nine democratic parties at the national and municipal level. NDI works with the party caucuses in parliament and in municipal assemblies on better communicating achievements to voters, message development, solicitation of citizen input, and the role of the caucus in both parliament and the party. With support from the Institute, democratic parties opened their first party training centers to coordinate voter outreach efforts and to assist party activists. NDI’s assistance extends to regional parties in Vojvodina, the Sandzak, and south Serbia.
In cooperation with CeSID, NDI has developed a database of polling station voting results since 2000. Combined with census data, it maps the political preferences of voters across Serbia. The database has given democratic political parties, along with civic groups, the ability to target and engage voters at the neighborhood level and thus improve outreach and communication. NDI continues to support CeSID as it maintains and updates the database.
Governance and Parliamentary Assistance
NDI assists the Serbian parliament and the Vojvodina assembly in legislative procedure and public outreach. NDI is helping the Serbian parliament’s secretary general to increase public information about and access to the legislature, and to improve legislative research available to members and staff. The Institute is working with the Speaker’s office and party caucuses in the Vojvodina regional assembly on organizational reforms.
“This is the first time for me to participate in a campaign simulation together with activists from other parties, and I learned a lot from this experience, including we all have much in common.”
—NDI/Serbia youth participant
Inclusion of Young People and Women in Politics
Through its youth schools and Future Political Leaders program, NDI is training Serbia’s next generation of political leaders. NDI has supported party youth wings to increase their leadership roles within democratic parties through more than 150 multi- and single-party training sessions on internal reform and individual skills building. More than 50 program participants have risen to leadership positions within their parties. To introduce young people to public service, NDI trains several hundred volunteers with the President’s People’s Office on constituent communication, negotiation skills, and casework management. The NDI-sponsored Center for Public Debate continues to groom young people for political participation.
NDI continues to build the skills of women as political leaders and candidates for elections. The Institute is also working with Serbia’s Council on Gender Equality and the Provincial Institute for Gender Equality on raising public awareness of a draft gender equality law which, when passed, will regulate such issues as equal pay. NDI is training local women activists to help educate municipal governments on gender equality measures.
Contact Information
NDI conducts programs in Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Slovakia. For more information on NDI's Serbia program, please contact:
Ulrike Scholl-Dorn in Washington, D.C. at 202-728-5453
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