2017 Serbian local elections

A small number of municipalities in Serbia held local elections in 2017. These were not part of the country's regular cycle of local elections but instead took place in certain jurisdictions where either the local government had fallen or the last local elections for four-year terms had taken place in 2013.

All local elections in Serbia in 2017 were held under proportional representation. Mayors were not directly elected but were instead chosen by elected members of the local assemblies. Parties were required to cross a five per cent electoral threshold (of all votes, not only of valid votes), although this requirement was waived for parties representing national minority communities.

Results

Vojvodina

Kovin

An election was held in Kovin on 23 April 2017 due to the expiry of the mandate of the previous assembly elected in 2013.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić– Faster, Stronger, Better	5,803	43.27	22
	Ivica Dačić–"Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Communist Party (KP), Greens of Serbia (ZS), Movement of Socialists (PS), Serbian People's Party (SNP)	1,891	14.10	7
	Dragan Marković Palma–"United Serbia"	1,657	12.35	6
	Citizens' Group: Kovin Can Do Better-Together for Our Municipality–Dr. Ivan Dotlić	1,228	9.16	4
	Democratic Party–Dr. Vladimir Tasić	1,146	8.54	4
	Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians–István Pásztor	726	5.41	2
	Party of United Pensioners of Serbia–Milan Krkobabić	525	3.91	–
	Serbian Radical Party–Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	436	3.25	–
Total		13,412	100.00	45
Valid votes		13,412	97.65
Invalid/blank votes		323	2.35
Total votes		13,735	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		29,145	47.13
Source: [1]

Incumbent mayor Sanja Petrović was chosen for another term in office after the election, with the support of thirty-eight delegates. The Socialists participated in the local government. ^[2] Petrović resigned as mayor in early 2020 in order to harmonize Kovin's municipal elections with Serbia's general local election cycle and was appointed as leader of a provisional administration pending the vote. ^[3]

Odžaci

An election was held in Odžaci on 23 April 2017. The previous election had been held in December 2013; sitting mayor Dušan Marijan resigned in early 2017 to harmonize the municipal election with the 2017 Serbian presidential election. ^[4] Marijan initially led a provisional authority pending new elections; he was later replaced by Latinka Vasiljković. ^{[5] [6]}

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić– Faster, Stronger, Better	7,734	55.70	16
	Ivica Dačić–Socialist Party of Serbia	2,653	19.11	5
	Citizens' Group: Odžaci Can Do Better	1,185	8.54	2
	Serbian Radical Party–Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	973	7.01	2
	Democratic Party–Aleksandar Dikić	967	6.96	2
	Citizens' Group: Enough Is Enough–Saša Radulović	372	2.68	–
Total		13,884	100.00	27
Valid votes		13,884	97.64
Invalid/blank votes		335	2.36
Total votes		14,219	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		26,063	54.56
Source: [7]

Latinka Vasiljković was chosen as mayor after the election. ^[8] She resigned in early 2020 to harmonize Odžaci's municipal elections with Serbia's general local election cycle; Goran Nikolić was appointed as the leader of a provisional authority pending the vote. ^[9]

Pećinci

An election was held in Pećinci on 24 December 2017, due to the resignation of Serbian Progressive Party mayor Dubravka Kovačević Subotički the previous month. Kovačević Subotički was appointed to lead a provisional administration prior to the vote. ^[10]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić–Serbian Progressive Party–Socialist Party of Serbia–Ivica Dačić	8,747	79.74	27
	"With Dignity, Without Fear–Bata Marković–Democratic Party and LSV"–Živko Marković	963	8.78	3
	"United Serbia"–Dragan Marković Palma	444	4.05	–
	Citizens' Group: For Pećinci Without Corruption	339	3.09	–
	Serbian Radical Party–Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	315	2.87	–
	Liberal Democratic Party–Borisav Kostić	162	1.48	–
Total		10,970	100.00	30
Valid votes		10,970	97.47
Invalid/blank votes		285	2.53
Total votes		11,255	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		15,994	70.37
Source: [11]

Željko Trbović of the Serbian Progressive Party was chosen as mayor after the election. ^[12] Trbović resigned in early 2020 to harmonize Pećinci's local electoral cycle with the general 2020 Serbian local elections and was appointed to lead a new provisional administration. ^[13]

Vrbas

An election was held in Vrbas on 23 April 2017 following the resignation of mayor Milan Glušac of the Progressive Party. Vrbas had held its last local elections in 2013, and the assembly's term in office was scheduled to end in October 2017; Glušac said that he resigned in order to prompt early elections, which would be held in conjunction with the 2017 Serbian presidential election as a cost-saving measure. ^[14]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić– Faster, Stronger, Better	8,449	43.63	17
	Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)	4,304	22.23	8
	Let's Free Vrbas	2,270	11.72	4
	Movement of Socialists–Aleksandar Vulin	1,906	9.84	3
	Serbian Radical Party–Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	1,414	7.30	2
	Citizens' Group: Enough Is Enough–Saša Radulović	1,020	5.27	2
Total		19,363	100.00	36
Valid votes		19,363	97.37
Invalid/blank votes		522	2.63
Total votes		19,885	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		35,947	55.32
Source: [15]

Former mayor Milan Glušac was selected for another term in office after the election. He announced his resignation in November 2019, withdrew his resignation shortly thereafter, and definitively resigned in early 2020. ^[16] He was subsequently appointed as the leader of a provisional authority pending new local elections in 2020. ^[17] It was generally accepted that the timing of these activities was coordinated to harmonize Vrbas's local elections with the country's main electoral cycle. ^[18]

Sumadija and Western Serbia

Kosjerić

Elections were held for the Municipal Assembly of Kosjerić on 24 April 2017, due to the expiry of the mandate of the previous assembly elected in 2013.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić— Faster, Stronger, Better (Serbian Progressive Party, Socialist Party of Serbia, Social Democratic Party of Serbia, Party of United Pensioners of Serbia)	2,116	32.77	10
	Democratic Party, Serbian Renewal Movement, Liberal Democratic Party–Before it's Too late	1,122	17.37	5
	For a Healthy Serbia –Milan Stamatović–Kosjerić	765	11.85	3
	Democratic Party of Serbia–Miloš Jovanović	633	9.80	3
	Serbian People's Party–Nenad Popović	509	7.88	2
	New Serbia–Velimir Ilić	508	7.87	2
	Movement of Socialists Aleksandar Vulin	457	7.08	2
	Dveri	269	4.17	–
	Serbian Radical Party Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	79	1.22	–
Total		6,458	100.00	27
Valid votes		6,458	98.55
Invalid/blank votes		95	1.45
Total votes		6,553	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		9,778	67.02
Source: [19]

Žarko Đokić of the Serbian Progressive Party was chosen as mayor after the election. ^[20]

Mionica

Boban Janković of the Serbian Progressive Party resigned as mayor of Mionica on 25 October 2017 and was afterward appointed to lead a provisional administration. New elections were held on 24 December 2017. ^[21]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Aleksandar Vučić—Serbian Progressive Party	5,532	67.36	28
	Ivica Dačić–Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)–United Serbia (JS)–Dragan Marković Palma–Serbian Radical Party (SRS)–Dr. Vojislav Šešelj	1,317	16.04	6
	Democratic Party Mionica Milan Gavrilović Ćićovan	1,150	14.00	5
	Milan Krkobabić, Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS)	214	2.61	–
Total		8,213	100.00	39
Valid votes		8,213	97.07
Invalid/blank votes		248	2.93
Total votes		8,461	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		11,464	73.80
Source: [22]

Boban Janković was again chosen as mayor after the election. ^[23]

References

1. Službeni List (Opštine Odžaci), Volume 52 Number 12 (24 April 2017), p. 219.
2. "Kovin: Izabrana nova-stara vlast", Danas, 12 May 2017, accessed 25 June 2022.
3. "Kovin dobio Privremeni organ - na čelu Sanja Petrović", 013info.rs, 25 February 2020, accessed 16 October 2020.
4. "PREDSEDNIK OPŠTINE ODŽACI DUŠAN MARIJAN PODNEO OSTAVKU", 025 Odžaci, 25 January 2017, accessed 18 February 2022.
5. З. РАЈИЋ, "Еври од сваке парцеле", Novosti, 13 March 2017, accessed 18 February 2022.
6. "Латинка Васиљковић води Оџаке", Dnevnik, 15 May 2017, accessed 25 March 2021.
7. Službeni List (Opštine Odžaci), Volume 52 Number 12 (24 April 2017), p. 219.
8. З. РАЈИЋ, "Еври од сваке парцеле", Novosti, 13 March 2017, accessed 18 February 2022.
9. "Formiran Privremeni organ opštine Odžaci", Municipality of Odžaci, 20 February 2017, accessed 18 February 2022.
10. "PEĆINCI: OPOZICIJA OČEKUJE KRAĐU IZBORA", Voice, 17 November 2017, accessed 17 August 2023.
11. Izveśtaj O Ukupnim Rezultatima Izbora Za Odbornike Skupštine Opštine Pećinci (Izbori 2017), pp. 1-2.
12. "Željko Trbović novi predsednik Opštine Pećinci", Sremske Novine, 11 January 2018, accessed 17 August 2023.
13. See "Sremice u renoviranim prostorijama", Sremske Vesti, 1 June 2020, accessed 17 August 2023.
14. "Глушац поднео оставку, локални избори заједно са председничким", Municipality of Vrbas, 25 January 2017, accessed 7 October 2021.
15. Službeni List (Opštine Vrbas), Volume 51 Number 19 (24 April 2017), p. 315.
16. "VOICE: Predsednik opštine Vrbas podneo ostavku, izvesni vanredni lokalni izbori", Danas, 29 November 2019, accessed 7 October 2021.
17. ПРЕДСЕДНИК ОПШТИНЕ ВРБАС, Municipality of Vrbas, accessed 7 October 2021.
18. "PREDSEDNICI TRI VOJVOĐANSKE OPŠTINE PO DRUGI PUT U DVA MESECA PODNELI OSTAVKE", Voice, 28 January 2020, accessed 7 October 2021.
19. Službeni List (Opštine Kosjerić), Volume 17 Number 7 (24 April 2017), pp. 1-2.
20. "Žarko Đokić menja Stojanića na mestu predsednika opštine Kosjerić?", Blic, 4 May 2017, accessed 2 May 2022.
21. B. Puzović, "Predsednik opštine Mionica podneo ostavku", Novosti, 25 October 2017, accessed 26 July 2023.
22. Službeni Glasnik (Opštine Mionica), Volume 24 Number 14 (25 December 2017), pp. 1-2.
23. Председник Општине, Municipality of Mionica, accessed 26 July 2023.