Yugoslav Left
The Yugoslav Left (Serbo-Croatian: Југословенска Левица, ЈУЛ / Jugoslovenska Levica; JUL) was a left-wing political party in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[4] At its peak, the party had 20 seats in Republic of Serbia's National Assembly following the 1997 general election.
Yugoslav Left Jugoslovenska Levica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder | Mirjana Marković |
| Founded | 23 July 1994 |
| Dissolved | 29 December 2003 |
| Preceded by | League of Communists – Movement for Yugoslavia |
| Headquarters | Venizelosova 31, Belgrade |
| Ideology | Communism[1] Left-wing populism Anti-Western sentiment Yugoslavism Serbian nationalism[2][3] |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Website | |
| jul.org.yu | |
Ideology
JUL declared itself to be a party of all "left-wing and progressive forces that believed that the general interest always comes above private interest", including communists, socialists, greens,[5] social democrats, and democratic socialists.[4]
History
The party was formed in 1994 by merging 19 left-wing parties, led by the League of Communists – Movement for Yugoslavia (SK-PJ). It was led by Mirjana Marković, originally holding the title of President of the Directorate.
Unlike the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and its ally the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) which were direct descendants of the League of Communists of Serbia and Montenegro respectively, the Yugoslav Left was an all-Yugoslavian party with members from both constituent bodies.[6]
Despite these differences, the JUL and the SPS collaborated closely. The JUL generally did not take part in elections separately. Several members of the SPS crossed the floor to JUL at some stage.[7]
On 24 and 25 March 1995, the party held its 1st Congress at the Sava Center in Belgrade, and theatre director Ljubiša Ristić was elected President.[8]
In 1996, the JUL joined the Left Coalition with the SPS and New Democracy. Following the 1997 election, the party had 20 MPs and representatives in various local assemblies. It held five ministerial posts in the second cabinet of Mirko Marjanović.
At the 2nd Congress in Kragujevac on 6 April 2002, Marković was elected President of the Yugoslav Left.[9]
It had a minimal presence in Montenegrin politics. At its peak, the JUL was part of the Patriotic Coalition for Yugoslavia in the 2002 election with the People's Socialist Party of Montenegro, and the Serbian Radical Party. The coalition won less than 3% of the vote and no seats.
In the 2003 election in Serbia, the JUL received only 0.1% of the vote.[10] The party officially ceased to exist on 12 April 2010.[11]
International cooperation
The JUL visited the gatherings of several left-wing political groups in Europe and worldwide. It held ties with the Communist Party of China, the Communist Party of Cuba and the Workers' Party of Korea.[7]
Voter base
Its social base was mainly amongst peasants and pauperized workers, but it also had members from the so-called nouveau riche of Serbia during Milošević's terms in office, and many high-ranked civil servants and army staff. During the 1990s, opponents of Milošević's government sometimes referred to the JUL "a branch of Communist Party of China in Yugoslavia".[7]
Electoral results
Serbian Parliamentary elections
| Year | Popular vote | % of popular vote | # of seats | Seat change | Coalition | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,418,036 | 34.26% | 20 / 250 |
 20 |
Left Coalition | government |
| 2000 | 14,324 | 0.38% | 0 / 250 |
 20 |
no seats | |
| 2003 | 3,771 | 0.09% | 0 / 250 |
 0 |
no seats |
References
- Steele, Jonathon (2000). "Yugoslavia's hated regime crumbles". Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- Breuilly, John (2013). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Nationalism. OUP Oxford. p. 527.
- Golubović, Zagorka (2003). Politika i svakodnevni život: Srbija 1999-2002. IFDT. p. 225.
- Janusz Bugajski. Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-Communist Era. Armonk, New York, USA: The Center for Strategic and International Studies. p. 407.
- Vulić, Zorica (8 April 2000). "Ko je ovaj čovek: Vladimir Štambuk" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- Yugoslav Left leader: "All people in Yugoslavia should live together"
- "Yugoslav Left". Free Serbia. 10 December 1999. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- Thomas 1999, pp. 225-6.
- "MIRJANA MARKOVIC IZABRANA ZA PREDSEDNICU JUL-A" (in Serbian). B92. 6 April 2002. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- Broad Left entry on JUL Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- "Mira Marković danas nema šanse kao politički lider". srbijadanas.com. Srbija Danas. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
Sources
- Thomas, Robert (1999). Serbia Under Milošević: Politics in the 1990s. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 1-85065-341-0. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- M. Marković interview on the party (2008) (in Serbian)
