Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (Hungarian: Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség, Serbian: Савез војвођанских Мађара, romanized: Savez vojvođanskih Mađara; abbr. СВМ, SVM or VMSZ) is a regionalist political party in Serbia representing the Hungarian minority of Serbia.
Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians Савез војвођанских Мађара Savez vojvođanskih Mađara Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség | |
---|---|
President | István Pásztor |
Vice Presidents | Árpád Fremond Elvira Kovač Bálint Pásztor |
Founder | József Kasza |
Founded | 18 June 1994 |
Split from | Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians |
Headquarters | Trg Žrtava Fašizma 9, Subotica |
Membership (2015) | 12,000[1] |
Ideology | Hungarian minority interests[2] Conservatism[3] Autonomism[4] Regionalism[4] Pro-Europeanism[5] |
Political position | Centre-right[6] |
European affiliation | European People's Party[7] (associate) |
Colours | Green |
National Assembly | 9 / 250 |
Assembly of Vojvodina | 11 / 120 |
Party flag | |
Website | |
www | |
History
Foundation and early history
The party was founded in 1994 in Senta by József Kasza and former members of the Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians as a citizen group which in 1995 was registered as a political party.[8] They participated in the 1997 parliamentary election in which they won 1.23% of the vote and 4 seats in the National Assembly.[9] In early 2000, it was one of the founding members of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) which ousted the president Slobodan Milošević later that year. In the 2000 parliamentary election they participated under the DOS coalition and the party won 6 seats in the parliament.[10]
Post-Milošević era and leadership change
From the early 2000s, they started promoting an idea to form a Hungarian Regional Autonomy in the northern part of Vojvodina. In the 2003 parliamentary election they ended up not passing the electoral threshold with 4.23% of the vote.[11] In 2007 they participated alone and they won 1.3% of the vote and 3 seats in the parliament.[12] They also participated in the 2004 provincial election in Vojvodina and the party won 8.50% of vote in the one-round voting system and was part of the ruling coalition in the Vojvodina provincial parliament. In the 2004 local elections, the party won the largest number of seats in the municipal parliaments of Subotica, Senta, Bačka Topola, Mali Iđoš, Kanjiža (where Reformists of Vojvodina won same number of seats) and Čoka. In 2008, the party elected István Pásztor as their new president while József Kasza remained as the honorary president until 2010, when his membership was revoked.[13] In 2008, they participated in the provincial election in Vojvodina, local elections and parliamentary election and they were a part of the Hungarian Coalition which won 7% of the vote in the provincial election and 1.81% and 4 seats in the parliamentary election, while in Kanjiža they won 50.91%, in Senta 31.87%, , Bačka Topola 46.25%, Mali Iđoš 37.18%, and Bečej 29.63%. [14] Since the introduction of the multi-party system in Serbia, the mayor of Subotica was often from the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians. That has changed after local elections 2008,[15] when Democratic Party won the largest number of votes in this city.
Modern period
In 2012, they participated in the parliamentary election, local elections, provincial election and presidential election. In the parliamentary election, they won 1.75% of the vote and 5 seats in the National Assembly, in Novi Sad they won one seat while in Subotica they won 22.52% of the vote, in the provincial election they won 5.83% of the vote and 7 seats, and in the presidential election, in the first round, Pásztor won 1.62% of the vote in the first round while in the second round he supported Boris Tadić.[16] Since the 2014 parliamentary election, they have been supporting the ruling SNS-led coalition. In 2014 they won 2.1% of the vote and 6 seats in the parliament, in 2016 they won 1.5% of the vote and lost two seats and then in 2020 they won 2.23% of the vote and got 5 more seats in the parliament.
Electoral results
Parliamentary elections
Year | Popular vote | % of popular vote | Number of seats | Seat change | Notes | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | 50,960 | 1.23% | 4 / 250 |
4 | opposition | |
2000 | 2,402,387 | 64.09% | 6 / 250 |
2 | Coalition DOS | government |
2003 | 161,765 | 4.23% | 0 / 250 |
6 | Coalition ZZT | no seats |
2007 | 52,510 | 1.30% | 3 / 250 |
3 | opposition | |
2008 | 74,874 | 1.81% | 4 / 250 |
1 | Coalition MK | gov′t support |
2012 | 68,323 | 1.75% | 5 / 250 |
1 | opposition | |
2014 | 75,294 | 2.10% | 6 / 250 |
1 | gov′t support | |
2016 | 56,620 | 1,50% | 4 / 250 |
2 | gov′t support | |
2020 | 71,893 | 2.23% | 9 / 250 |
5 | gov′t support |
Presidential elections
Election year | # | Candidate | 1st round votes | % | 2nd round votes | % | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | 6th | István Pásztor | 93,039 | 2.26 | — | — | Hungarian Coalition |
2012 | 9th | István Pásztor | 63,420 | 1.62% | — | — | |
2017 | 1st | Aleksandar Vučić | 2,012,788 | 55.10% | Government coalition |
Positions held
Major positions held by Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians members:
President of the Assembly of Vojvodina | Years |
---|---|
Sándor Egeresi | 2008–2012 |
István Pásztor | 2012– |
References
- "U Srbiji milion i po članova partija, neki imaju i po pet članskih knjižica" (in Serbian). Blic. 29 January 2015.
- Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Vojvodina/Serbia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- Losoncz, Alpár (24 May 2015). "Nem a liberalizmus tizedeli a kisebbségi magyarokat". napló.org (in Hungarian). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- Florian Bieber; Jenni Winterhagen (2006). Ethnic Violence in Vojvodina: Glitch or Harbinger of Conflicts to Come? (PDF). European Centre for Minority Issues. p. 29.
- Jansen, Thomas; Van Hecke, Steven (2011). At Europe's Service: The Origins and Evolution of the European People's Party. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 384. ISBN 9783642194146.
- "Ismét Kasza József a VMSZ elnöke". www.origo.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- "EPP Political Assembly tackles migration, prepares EPP Congress, and upgrades two member parties". Brussels: European People's Party. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- "Lik i delo: Jožef Kasa" (in Serbian). Vreme. 18 February 2010.
- "Izbori 1997: Bojkot dela opozicije, Šešelj i Vučić na vlasti sa socijalistima" (in Serbian). N1. 3 March 2020.
- "10 March 2020" (in Serbian). N1.
- "Konačni rezultati izbora 2003. godine" (in Serbian). B92. 2003.
- "Izbori za narodne poslanike Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije, 21. januar 2007. godine - mandati" (in Serbian). Republički zavod za statistiku. 2007.
- "Ethnic Hungarian party expels honorary president". B92. 11 February 2010.
- "Izbori za narodne poslanike Narodne Skupštine Republike Srbije" (PDF) (in Serbian). Republički zavod za statistiku. 11 May 2008.
- Hrvatska riječ Archived 7 September 2012 at Archive.today Davor Bašić Palković: Formirana nova gradska vlast u Subotici, 18. srpnja 2008. (in Croatian)
- "Izbori 2012: Rezultati i postizborna trgovina" (in Serbian). Vreme. 14 May 2012.