Tomislav NikoliÃÂ (, ; born 15 February 1952) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2012 to 2017. A former member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), he disassociated himself from the party in 2008 and formed the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) which he led until 2012.
Born in BajÃÂetina, a village near Kragujevac, Nikoliàwas a long-time member of parliament for SRS. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia from 1998 to 1999 and Deputy Prime Minister of FR Yugoslavia in the coalition government from 1999 to 2000. Nikoliàwas the deputy leader of SRS from 2003, and he briefly served as the President of the National Assembly of Serbia in 2007. In 2008, he resigned following a disagreement with party leader Vojislav à  eà ¡elj regarding Serbia's relations with the European Union, as Nikoliàbecame in favour of Serbia's accession to the EU, a move that was staunchly opposed by à  eà ¡elj and his faction. Nikoliàformed SNS, which several SRS members joined.
NikoliÃÂ ran for President of Yugoslavia in the 2000 elections and placed third. He also ran four times for President of Serbia (in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections). In 2003, he garnered the most votes, but the election was cancelled due to low turnout, while in 2004 and 2008 he was placed second behind Boris TadiÃÂ. In 2012, he won the run-off against TadiÃÂ to become President of Serbia.
Tomislav Nikoliàwas born in Kragujevac. His father, Radomir, was a labourer, and his mother, à ½ivadinka (née ÃÂokoviÃÂ), was a housewife. In his youth, he trained in athletics. He completed secondary technical school in Kragujevac. His first employment was as a cemetery supervisor. In 1971 he began working with the building construction company "à ½egrap", and in 1978 he worked for the company "22 December" in Kragujevac as head of the Investment and Maintenance Department. He was also the Technical Director of the Utility Services company in Kragujevac. He and his wife Dragica (née NinkoviÃÂ) have two sons.
Nikoliàbegan his political career as vice-president of the People's Radical Party. Under his initiative, a fraction of the People's Radical Party merged with Vojislav à  eà ¡elj's Serbian National Renewal to form the Serbian Radical Party. à  eà ¡elj was elected president of the new party and Nikoliàas vice-president. The party had been described by some as a Chetnik party oriented towards neo-fascism and striving for the territorial expansion of Serbia. The Chetniks were a World War II movement in Yugoslavia led by Draà ¾a MihailoviÃÂ. While it was anti-Axis in its long-term goals and engaged in resistance activities for limited periods, it also engaged in tactical or selective collaboration with Axis forces during the war. In 1993, during the Bosnian War, Nikoliàwas proclaimed as Chetnik voivode by à  eà ¡elj in a ceremony on the Romanija Mountain.
Nikoliàhas been a deputy in the National Assembly of Serbia since 1991, the only one elected continuously since that year. Under Slobodan Miloà ¡eviàand the Socialist Party of Serbia, he and à  eà ¡elj were sentenced to three months in prison which he served in Gnjilane. However, in March 1998, the Serbian Radical Party formed a coalition with the Socialist Party and he then became the vice-president of the Government of Serbia and, by the end of 1999, the vice-president of the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In 2000, he began the first of several runs for the presidency of Serbia. In the FR Yugoslavia presidential election of 2000, he finished in third place behind Vojislav Koà ¡tunica and Slobodan Miloà ¡eviÃÂ. He then ran in the 2003 Serbian presidential election, in which garnered the most votes in the first round (46.23%), ahead of Dragoljub MiÃÂunoviÃÂ, but the results were invalidated due to a low turnout of only 38.8%. Nikoliàmade yet another bid for the presidency in the 2004 presidential election. In the first round, he received 30.1% of the vote and Boris Tadiàreceived 27.3%. In the second round held on 27 June, Nikoliàlost to Tadiàby 53.7% to 45.4%. On 23 February 2003, he became the party's deputy leader after Vojislav à  eà ¡elj went voluntarily to the ICTY. During his leadership of the party, Nikoliàfavoured pushing the party towards focusing on more economic and social issues such as poverty and unemployment, rather than militant nationalism.
In a remark about Serbian Prime Minister Zoran ÃÂinÃÂiÃÂ's injured leg, NikoliÃÂ said on 28 February 2003: "If anyone of you, in the following month or two, sees Zoran ÃÂinÃÂiÃÂ somewhere, tell him that Tito also had a problem with a leg before his death". Less than two weeks later ÃÂinÃÂiÃÂ was assassinated in Belgrade. NikoliÃÂ later apologised for his statement by saying that he would have never said that had he known what would happen. In contrast to ÃÂinÃÂiÃÂ, NikoliÃÂ repeatedly refused to apologise for stating "I don't regret that Slavko ÃÂuruvija was murdered". (The journalist Slavko ÃÂuruvija was murdered on 11 April 1999 in front of the door of his building.)
Nikoliàwas elected Speaker of Parliament on 8 May 2007, defeating Milena Miloà ¡eviàof the Democratic Party by 142 to 99 votes out of 244 members of Parliament. The Democratic Party of Serbia endorsed him. Hajredin Kuçi of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Ylli Hoxha of the Reformist Party ORA, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo Agim ÃÂeku condemned the election of Nikoliàas "counterproductive and dangerous for Kosovo". On 9 May, Nikoliàmet with Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Alekseyev and gave a speech to Parliament in which he advocated making Serbia part of a Belarus-Russia superstate, saying that together they would "stand up against the hegemony of America and the European Union".
He resigned from his position as speaker on 13 May after the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia formed a preliminary alliance in preparation for a coalition government. NikoliÃÂ told the Democratic parties that if they "peacefully accept" the independence of Kosovo, the Radical Party "will not sit calmly and wait".
In 2008, he ran again for the presidency in the 2008 presidential election. His slogan was With All Heart (; ). On 20 January 2008, NikoliÃÂ again won the first round with 39.99% of the vote. NikoliÃÂ and incumbent Boris TadiÃÂ, who garnered 35.39% of the vote, faced off against each other in a runoff election on 3 February. NikoliÃÂ lost, receiving 2,197,155 or 47.97% of the vote.
Nikoliàabruptly resigned from the Radical Party leadership on 6 September 2008. Serb media cited differences between Nikoliàand other members of the Radical Party hierarchy, especially party leader Vojislav à  eà ¡elj, about how the party should react to the proposed European Union membership for Serbia. In the following days, Nikoliàformed a parliamentary group with a number of other Radical Party representatives called "Napred Srbijo" (Forward, Serbia). Nikoliàtold the press that the "old Serbian Radical Party no longer exists". On 11 September 2008, à  eà ¡elj addressed all Radical Party members in a letter. He named Nikoliàand his group as "traitors, Western puppets and agents". He also called upon all SRS members to remain loyal to the ideology of "Serbian nationalism, anti-globalism and pro-Russian politics". On 12 September 2008, Nikoliàand his group were officially ejected from the Radical Party. Nikoliàannounced that he would form his own party.
On 24 September 2008, NikoliÃÂ announced that his new party's name would be the Serbian Progressive Party and that the first convention would be held on 21 October. The founding congress of the new party was held on 21 October 2008.
On 5 February 2011, in front of the National Assembly, Nikoliàand his political supporters â Milanka Karià(Strength of Serbia Movement), Velimir Ilià(New Serbia), Aleksandar Vulin (Movement of Socialists) and Aleksandar VuÃÂiàorganised a protest demanding early parliamentary elections. According to an official Serbian police report there were around 55,000 people present. On 16 April 2011, Nikoliàorganised a larger protest with the same request. He also started a thirst and hunger strike that morning and later moved to the national parliament. He stated that his goal was to force the then-Serbian government (led by Boris TadiÃÂ) to hold early parliamentary elections. On 17 April, Tadiàcame to visit Nikoliàin the latter's parliamentary chambers. Tadiàadvised Nikoliàto stop striking. NikoliÃÂ's condition worsened, and he was taken to a private hospital. Serbia's media regularly reported on his condition. That same night his arterial tension was high (150/100 mmHg) but he refused to seek intravenous therapy or medication. When he realised that his hunger strike would not bring about the desired outcome, Nikoliàstepped down, citing Easter.
NikoliÃÂ led the party in the 2012 parliamentary election, and he ran for president in the 2012 presidential election. His slogan was Let's Get Serbia Moving (, ). During the campaign, the issue of his education was raised, as the opposition claimed that NikoliÃÂ obtained his master's degree under dubious circumstances in a private school. NikoliÃÂ responded by suing the daily newspapers Blic and Kurir, demanding 4 million euros as compensation.
On 6 May 2012, NikoliÃÂ lost the first round with 25.05% of the vote. NikoliÃÂ and incumbent Boris TadiÃÂ, who garnered 25.31% of the vote, faced off against each other in a runoff election on 20 May. NikoliÃÂ won, receiving 49.4% of the vote in a tally of 70% of the polling stations. Boris TadiÃÂ, his rival in the elections, congratulated him on the victory, and stated that he hoped that Serbia would continue its progress under NikoliÃÂ.
NikoliÃÂ resigned as leader of the Serbian Progressive Party on 24 May 2012, and simultaneously quit his membership in the party, citing the desire to be a president of all citizens of Serbia.
In a May 2012 interview, Nikoliàwas quoted by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to have said that â³Vukovar was a Serb city and Croats have nothing to go back to thereâ³. Croatian President Ivo Josipoviàcriticised Nikoliàfor this statement and conditioned future cooperation on NikoliÃÂ's withdrawal of the statement.
The following day NikoliÃÂ's office issued a statement saying that Nikoliànever made any such statement and called it a â³treacherous lieâ³. However, Michael Martens, a journalist at Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung subsequently published the audio recording showing that Nikoliàhad indeed made that statement.
In late September 2013, the Belgrade pride parade was banned by the Serbian police for the third consecutive year following violent threats issued by right-wing groups and requests by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Prior to the parade, DaÃÂiÃÂ released a statement in which he said that homosexual behaviour was "abnormal" and that homosexuals in Serbia needed to "respect the wishes of the majority of the population" if the "majority's wish was for the parade to not take place." NikoliÃÂ subsequently issued a statement calling for "work on the organisation of next year's parade to begin immediately."
Nikoliàwas inaugurated as the President of Serbia on 31 May 2012. à  tefan Füle, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, was the highest-ranking official to attend and many ambassadors from other countries were also present. The leaders of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia, boycotted the inauguration due to his denial of the genocide in Srebrenica and claims about Vukovar. NikoliÃÂ's advisors were Marko ÃÂuriÃÂ, Stanislava Pak, Oliver AntiÃÂ, Milorad SimiÃÂ, Radoslav PavloviÃÂ, Predrag Mikiàand Jasmina MitroviàMariÃÂ.
On 2 June 2012, NikoliÃÂ stated on Montenegrin television that "there was no genocide in Srebrenica. In Srebrenica, grave war crimes were committed by some Serbs who should be found, prosecuted and punished. [...] It is very difficult to indict someone and prove before a court that an event qualifies as genocide." NikoliÃÂ stated that he would not attend the annual commemoration of the Srebrenica massacre: "Don't always ask the Serbian president if he is going to Srebrenica, my predecessor was there and paid tribute. Why should every president do the same?" His predecessor, TadiÃÂ, had previously acknowledged the massacre as a genocide.
Bakir IzetbegoviÃÂ, a member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency, said NikoliÃÂ's comments insulted the survivors. He elaborated "the denial of genocide in Srebrenica will not pave the way for co-operation and reconciliation in the region, but on the contrary, may cause fresh misunderstandings and tensions." Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemned his comments and stated that "the EU strongly rejects any intention to rewrite history." The United States Department of State deplored NikoliÃÂ's statement and considered them unfounded and counterproductive.
On 25 April 2013, NikoliÃÂ apologised for crimes committed by any individual in the name of Serbia, and, in particular, for crimes committed in Srebrenica. The apology was not well received by some media and politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina who were disappointed that NikoliÃÂ did not recognise the massacre as a genocide.
As President, NikoliÃÂ has decorated a large number of domestic and foreign individuals and institutions on the occasion of Statehood Day. In 2016, he honoured Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan, because that country refused to recognise Kosovo's independence. The New York-based Coalition for the International Criminal Court called on NikoliÃÂ to revoke the medal he gave to Sudan's president because Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is suspected of five counts of crimes against humanity, two counts of war crimes and three counts of genocide allegedly committed in Darfur.
In February 2017, NikoliÃÂ announced that he would not seek re-election in Serbia's forthcoming elections and extended his support to Aleksandar VuÃÂiÃÂ.
During the 1990s and until 2008, NikoliÃÂ repeatedly called for the creation of a Greater Serbia. NikoliÃÂ told VeÃÂernje novosti in 2004 that the boundaries of Greater Serbia along the Virovitica-Karlovac-Karlobag line were not part of any imperialistic politics, but would always remain a "dream" for him and other Radical leaders. He also said that he would not have diplomatic relations with Croatia because they are "occupying Serbian land". In 2007, NikoliÃÂ stated that the basis of political action in the Serbian Radical Party was the unification of Republika Srpska, Montenegro, and the Republic of Serbian Krajina with Serbia in a single Balkan state. But a few days before the 2012 elections, NikoliÃÂ told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview that the territorial integrity of neighbouring countries cannot be questioned and that his former opinions were no longer valid. When asked about this change of position, he quoted a French philosopher that said "only a fool does not change his opinion." In 2018, NikoliÃÂ stated that he has supported the independence of Republika Srpska and unification with Serbia.
In 2012, NikoliÃÂ was accused of buying a master's degree from the Faculty of Management in Novi Sad without attending a single class or exam. The allegation was based on the fact that his diploma had no stamp and that no other students recalled having seen him attend classes or exams.
On 25 January 2016, Nikoliàlaid the cornerstone for "the Centre of Excellence" of the University of Kragujevac, his hometown; the institution will include a stem cell research unit. Nikoliàsaid The Stem Cell Bank will "preserve what's most important, and the most beautiful characteristics of the Serb people" and also: "Children should be born here, with the Serb genetic material, with the Serb code, Serb past and Serb future. That has guided me to support this". Ombudsman of Serbia, Saà ¡a JankoviÃÂ, reacted to this on Twitter by saying he "regretted this statement," and adding that the first article of the Constitution states "the Republic of Serbia is the state of the Serb people and all citizens who live in it." The League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) also reacted, saying that the president made "a Nazi statement" that "violated the Constitution," and urged him to resign.
In September 2016, At the opening ceremony of the Symposium of the Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians Serbia, Montenegro and Republika Srpska, NikoliÃÂ said: "Gynaecology is knowledge about women, if anyone should dare to say that they have that knowledge". Maja SedlareviÃÂ, member of League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), said NikoliÃÂ had offended women and also he is ignorant, uneducated and superficial.
NikoliÃÂ has published thirteen books:
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