Fatherland (movement)

People's Movement of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija "Fatherland" (Serbian: Народни покрет Срба са Косова и Метохије "Отаџбина", romanized: Narodni pokret Srba sa Kosova i Metohije "Otadžbina"), commonly known as the Fatherland (Отаџбина / Otadžbina) is a political organization in Serbia and Kosovo^[a] that represents the Serbian minority in Kosovo. It is led by the former Mayor of Zubin Potok, and a prominent figure in the Kosovo Serb community, Slaviša Ristić.[1]

Fatherland Отаџбина Otadžbina
President	Slaviša Ristić
Founded	19 January 2017 (2017-01-19)
Headquarters	North Mitrovica, Kosovo
Ideology	Serb minority politics National conservativism Christian democracy Anti-globalization
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	United Opposition of Serbia
National Assembly of Serbia	0 / 250
Assembly of Kosovo	0 / 120
Politics of Serbia Political parties Elections

The organization has heavily criticized the Serb List, and it claims that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia.[2]

History

The organization was founded on 19 January 2017 in North Mitrovica by the former Autonomus Province of Kosovo and Metohija board members of the Democratic Party, Serbian Progressive Party, and the Socialist Party of Serbia.[3] The first president of the organization was Aleksandar Vasić. In 2018, Slaviša Ristic was selected as the president.[1]

Since 2018, the organization has been a part of the Alliance for Serbia, a major opposition alliance in Serbia.[4] The organization has criticized the Serb List for participating in the Kosovan elections, and for joining the Government of Kosovo.[2] The organization boycotted the 2019 Kosovan parliamentary elections as it claims that participating in the Kosovan elections violates the constitution of Serbia, and it called for the boycott of the 2020 Serbian parliamentary elections.[5][6]

Electoral results

Parliamentary elections

National Assembly of Serbia

Year	Popular vote	% of popular vote	# of seats	Seat change	Coalitions	Government
2016	Split from DSS		1 / 250	1		opposition
2020	Election boycott		0 / 250	1	SzS	non-parliamentary

Assembly of Kosovo

Year	Popular vote	% of popular vote	Overall seats won	Serb seats	Seat change	Government
2019	Election boycott		0 / 120	0 / 10	0	non-parliamentary

Notes

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References

1. Jugpress, Postavio: (2018-02-11). "Slaviša Ristić predsednik Narodnog pokreta Srba sa Kosova i Metohije „Otadžbina"". JUGPRESS (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2020-06-15.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
2. Jugpress, Postavio: (2020-06-04). ""Otadžbina" o ulasku Srpske liste u novu Vladu Kosova". JUGPRESS (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2020-06-15.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
3. "KM: Osnovan pokret "Otadžbina"". KIM radio. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
4. "U Beogradu i zvanično formiran Savez za Srbiju". N1 Srbija (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-06-15.
5. "Narodni pokret Srba s KiM poziva na bojkot parlamentarnih, a i kosovskih izbora". N1 Srbija (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-06-15.
6. Beta, Piše:. "Otadžbina: Izlazak na izbore na severu Kosova je suprotan Ustavu". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-06-15.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)