A by-election in the Rakovica I constituency in Serbia was held in June 1991. The election was called after the death of representative Miodrag Bulatoviàof the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), and was contested by Radoà ¡ Karaklajiàof SPS, Vojislav à  eà ¡elj of the Serbian Radical Party, Borislav Pekiàof the Democratic Party and ten other candidates. à  eà ¡elj's candidature was also supported by the Serbian National Renewal and Serb Democratic Party. The election resulted in à  eà ¡elj's victory, winning 80% of the popular vote in the second round of the election. He was sworn in to the National Assembly of Serbia on 8 July. In the following parliamentary election in 1992, his party went onto win 73 seats.
Following the 1990 Serbian constitutional referendum, a multi-party system was introduced in Serbia. This led to creation of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by Slobodan Miloà ¡eviÃÂ, Democratic Party (DS), and Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO). Shortly after the new constitution was adopted, general elections were called for 9 December 1990. The elections resulted in a landslide victory of Miloà ¡eviÃÂ's SPS, winning 194 out of 250 seats in the National Assembly of Serbia. Among the candidates elected on the SPS list was Miodrag Bulatoviàin the constituency of Rakovica I. The first convocation of the National Assembly was constituted on 11 January 1991, while Bulatoviàwas sworn in at a 16 January session. However, he died on 15 March and his seat became vacant. The by-election was called by Slobodan UnkoviÃÂ, the president of the National Assembly, on 9 May.
With the adoption of a new constitution in September 1990, a new electoral system was introduced in Serbia. The 250 members of the National Assembly of Serbia were elected using a first-past-the-post, two-round voting system from 250 single-member constituencies. A constituency's territory could consist of multiple local communities (mesna zajednica), populated places (naseljena mesta), or a single municipality. Eligible voters were able to vote for only one candidate in their respective constituency. A campaign for an election can last 30 to 90 days.
A candidate could be nominated by one or more political parties or other registered political organisations with at least 100 valid signatures from constituency residents, or by a (grupa graÃÂana) instead. A citizens' group, under the law enacted in 1990, is a group of 100 citizens bound by an agreement willing to take part in an election. The candidate was submitted to Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) by its proposer. RIK could deny a candidate, after which the deficiencies had to be corrected within 48 hours if the candidate was to be re-submitted again. The symbol of a constituency, the name of the election, and a list of candidates that ran in the constituency were present on the voting ballot. In the first round, a candidate was elected if at least 50% of the voters came out to vote, while in the second round the candidate with the most votes wins.
RIK, the local election commission, and polling boards of the constituency oversaw the election in the Rakovica I constituency. Parliamentary elections were called by the president of the National Assembly, who also had to announce their dates. To vote, a person had to be a citizen, able to perform working duties, and at least 18 years old. Voting also took place in hospitals, nursing homes, and police barracks. During the election day, eligible voters can vote from 07:00 () to 20:00 at a voting station in their constituency. Voters who were either blind, disabled, or illiterate can bring a relative to vote on their behalf at a voting station.
The following list includes candidates who took part in the by-election.
According to newspaper Borba, the election reflected "the current state of the government and opposition". Despite nominating its own candidate, Miloà ¡eviÃÂ's SPS backed à  eà ¡elj in the election by giving him election infrastructure. SPS, however, denied this. According to Borba, out of all candidates, most voters attended à  eà ¡elj's campaign events. During the campaign, Radio Television Belgrade presented KaraklajiÃÂ, PekiÃÂ, and Marjanoviàon television. à  eà ¡elj was also scheduled to appear, however, he was denied entrance into the building because he was armed.
à  eà ¡elj campaigned by organising election events, while Pekiàpresented his campaign at literary evening events, pubs, and cafés. At one of his events, Pekiàwas joined by all DS members of parliament (MP). They presented Pekiàas "a person with a clear political past" (ÃÂovek ÃÂiste politiÃÂke proà ¡losti). à  eà ¡elj campaigned on promoting privatisation, opposition to Yugoslavism, and support for Greater Serbia. His candidacy was supported by the Serbian National Renewal and Serb Democratic Party. On 12 June, SPS organised an event promoting KaraklajiÃÂ's candidature. The event was attended by SPS officials Borisav Joviàand Jovan StrikoviÃÂ.
The election was conducted at 19 voting stations. The results of the first round saw à  eà ¡elj winning 56% of the popular vote; he was followed by KaraklajiÃÂ, who won 15% of the popular vote. In the early hours of the first round, about 20% of the voters voted in the election, while by the end of the day, the number of voters that turned out to vote rose up to 40%. After the election, DS objected to the electoral rules and filed a complaint to the local election commission, which eventually rejected their complaint. Considering that less than 50% of voters turned out to vote, the Election Commission called a second round for 30 June, featuring only à  eà ¡elj and Karaklajiàas candidates. In the second round, à  eà ¡elj won 80% of the popular vote. According to Ivan MatiÃÂ, the president of the local election commission, there were no complaints filed after the second round.
After the election, à  eà ¡elj declared his victory as "the victory of the Serbian Radical Party and its economic, social, and political programme" (). à  eà ¡elj was sworn in as MP on 8 July. During his tenure in the National Assembly, he was known for engaging in physical fights with opposition politicians. In the 1992 Serbian general election, his party went onto win 73 seats in the National Assembly.