Better Serbia

Better Serbia

Боља Србија
Bolja Srbija
Better Serbia Боља Србија; Bolja Srbija
Abbreviation	BS
President	Dragan Jovanović
Secretary	Milovan Cvetković
Founded	24 July 2017
Dissolved	12 April 2023
Split from	New Serbia
Merged into	Serbian Progressive Party
Ideology	National conservatism; Agrarianism; Regionalism;
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	Together We Can Do Everything
Colours	Red; Blue;
Slogan	Mi znamo bolje; ("We know better")
Website
	boljasrbija.org.rs
	Politics of Serbia; Political parties; Elections;

Better Serbia (Serbian Cyrillic: Боља Србија, romanized: Bolja Srbija, BS) was a national-conservative political party in Serbia. Its leader was Dragan Jovanović, a former member of New Serbia. It was the main governing party in the municipality of Topola.

Origins and current status

Jovanović was a longtime member of New Serbia (NS) before his expulsion from the party in January 2017, which occurred against the backdrop of a quarrel with party leader Velimir Ilić. Jovanović was elected on Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) list in 2016, and after serving as an independent member of the assembly for six months, Jovanović launched Better Serbia in July 2017.^[1] A month before the formation, Jovanović presented a political program with Vladan Glišić and Miroslav Parović.^[2] He outlined the party's positions in an interview with Politika shortly thereafter, noting the party's focus on agrarian issues.^[3] Jovanović was a supporter of Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić at the time of Better Serbia's establishment, although by 2020 he had become an opponent of the administration.^[4]

Better Serbia contested the 2020 Serbian parliamentary election in an alliance with Healthy Serbia.^[5] Their list did not cross the electoral threshold to win representation in the assembly. Better Serbia won a narrow victory in Jovanović's home community of Topola in the concurrent 2020 Serbian local elections, defeating the Serbian Progressive Party by sixteen seats to fifteen. After the election, the Progressives formed a new governing alliance with smaller parties in the local assembly, and Better Serbia served in opposition.^[6] In April 2021, however, two defectors from the Progressives allowed Better Serbia to form a new municipal administration with the support from the Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia. Topola's incumbent mayor, Ivan Petrović, also chose to join the new administration.^[7]

On 14 February 2022, Dragan Jovanović announced that BS will participate in the 2022 Serbian parliamentary elections as part of the SNS-led coalition and their "Together We Can Do Everything" ballot list.^[8] On 12 April 2023, BS merged into SNS.^[9]

Presidents of Better Serbia

#	President		Born-Died	Term start	Term end
1	Dragan Jovanović		1976–	24 July 2017	12 April 2023

Electoral performance

Parliamentary elections

National Assembly of Serbia
Year	Leader	Popular vote	% of popular vote	#	# of seats	Seat change	Coalition	Status
2020	Dragan Jovanović	33,435	1.08%	11th	0 / 250	1	BS–ZS	Extra-parliamentary
2022	Dragan Jovanović	1,635,101	44.27%	1st	1 / 250	1	ZMS	Support

Presidential elections

President of Serbia
Year	Candidate	1st round popular vote		% of popular vote	2nd round popular vote		% of popular vote	Notes
2022	Aleksandar Vučić	1st	2,224,914	60.01%	—	—	—	Supported Vučić

References

^ "Bolja Srbija - nova stranka, predsednik Dragan Jovanović", Tanjug, 24 July 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.
^ "Serbian Right-Wingers Unveil Populist Platform". Balkan Insight. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
^ Мирјана Чекеревац, "Увек сам за народне коалиције", Politika, 4 August 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.
^ Mirjana R. Milenković, "Jovanović: Mislio sam da su žuti najgori, ali naprednjaci su gori", Danas, 6 March 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.
^ "Novinska agencija Beta". Novinska agencija Beta (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
^ "SNS na čelu vlasti u Topoli, Dragan Jovanović posle 16 godina ide u opoziciju", Danas, 19 August 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.
^ "U Topoli prekomponovana vlast, Bolja Srbija dobila podršku troje naprednjaka", Danas, 27 April 2021, accessed 27 April 2021.
^ "Topola: Dragan Jovanović i "Bolja Srbija" ipak na listi SNS". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
^ TANJUG (12 April 2023). "Glišić: Stranka Bolja Srbija danas kolektivno pristupila SNS-u". tanjug.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 13 April 2023.

[1] "Bolja Srbija - nova stranka, predsednik Dragan Jovanović", Tanjug, 24 July 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.

[2] "Serbian Right-Wingers Unveil Populist Platform". Balkan Insight. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2022.

[3] Мирјана Чекеревац, "Увек сам за народне коалиције", Politika, 4 August 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.

[4] Mirjana R. Milenković, "Jovanović: Mislio sam da su žuti najgori, ali naprednjaci su gori", Danas, 6 March 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.

[:0-5] "Novinska agencija Beta". Novinska agencija Beta (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 May 2020.

[6] "SNS na čelu vlasti u Topoli, Dragan Jovanović posle 16 godina ide u opoziciju", Danas, 19 August 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.

[7] "U Topoli prekomponovana vlast, Bolja Srbija dobila podršku troje naprednjaka", Danas, 27 April 2021, accessed 27 April 2021.

[8] "Topola: Dragan Jovanović i "Bolja Srbija" ipak na listi SNS". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.

[9] TANJUG (12 April 2023). "Glišić: Stranka Bolja Srbija danas kolektivno pristupila SNS-u". tanjug.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 13 April 2023.

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