Robert Kolar (Serbian Cyrillic: Роберт Колар; born 18 September 1966) is a politician in Serbia. A longtime member of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), he has served in the Assembly of Vojvodina since 2012.
Private life
editLSV spokesperson
editKolar was a spokesperson for the LSV in 2000 and was a prominent voice in opposition to the government of Slobodan Milošević and his allies. In January 2000, he expressed regret that the European Union had failed to lift sanctions against Serbia.[2] In May of the same year, he criticized members of Serbia's opposition movement for not demonstrating during an official visit by Milošević to Novi Sad.[3]
Kolar spoke against the Milošević government's "anti-terrorism" legislation in June 2000, describing it as "proof of the panic which has gripped the regime" and an attempt to "undermine the opposition authorities in the free towns of Serbia and Vojvodina, such as Novi Sad."[4] Just before the 2000 Yugoslavian general election, he accused the regime of arresting and detaining opposition politician Živan Milutinović without any apparent cause.[5]
After the fall of the Milošević government in the 2000 Yugoslavian election, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition that included the LSV, won landslide victories in new elections held in Serbia and Vojvodina. In March 2001, however, Kolar said that the LSV would "reconsider" its participation in the DOS if the coalition did not support his party's platform for increasing the autonomy of Vojvodina.[6]
Kolar stood down as a party spokesperson in 2001. During this time, he served on Novi Sad's city council (i.e., the executive branch of the municipal government) with responsibility for culture.[7] He later served as president of the LSV's executive committee in Novi Sad,[8][9] and he was elected to the party presidency in October 2018.[10]
Assembly member
editKolar received the eighth position on the LSV's electoral list in the 2012 Vojvodina provincial election and was elected when the list won eight mandates.[11][12] The LSV participated in a coalition government in the province after the election, and Kolar served as a supporter of the ministry.
He received the eleventh position on the LSV's list for the 2016 Vojvodina provincial election and was not immediately re-elected when the list won nine mandates. He was, however, awarded a new mandate after both party leader Nenad Čanak and Marinika Tepić declined their provincial mandates in order to serve in the National Assembly of Serbia.[13][14] The Serbian Progressive Party and its allies won a majority victory in this election, and the LSV moved into opposition. Kolar serves as a member of the assembly's economy committee.[15]
Kolar was a candidate for the National Assembly of Serbia in the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election, which was held concurrently with the provincial election. He received too low a list position for election to be a realistic possibility.[16]
References
edit- ^ Избори за народне посланике 2016. године » Изборне листе (БОРИС ТАДИЋ, ЧЕДОМИР ЈОВАНОВИЋ - САВЕЗ ЗА БОЉУ СРБИЈУ – Либерално демократска партија, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Социјалдемократска странка), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Vojvodina opposition party to help Serbian colleagues ease 'US grip'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service: Central Europe & Balkans, 27 January 2000 (Source: 104 Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 1354 gmt 25 Jan 00).
- ^ "Vojvodina opposition regrets absence of protests during Milosevic visit," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European - Political, 30 May 2000 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 1213 gmt 30 May 00).
- ^ "Vojvodina opposition party - Antiterrorism bill proves 'regime in state of panic'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European - Political, 28 June 2000 (Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 1903 gmt 27 Jun 00).
- ^ "Serbian police arrest opposition candidate in Vojvodina," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European - Political, 5 October 2000 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 0907 gmt 5 Oct 00.).
- ^ "Vojvodina party threatens to leave Serbian ruling coalition over autonomy," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service: Central Europe & Balkans, 24 March 2001 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 1609 gmt 22 Mar 01).
- ^ "TRENTASEI POESIE PER RICOSTRUIRE I PONTI DI NOVI SAD," Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, 7 December 2002.
- ^ "Robert Kolar reizabran za predsednika IO GrO LSV Novi Sad", League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, 30 March 2013, accessed 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Robert Kolar ponovo na čelu novosadskog LSV-a", www.021.rs, 30 May 2014, accessed 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Čanak ponovo predsednik LSV", Radio-Television of Serbia, 6 October 2018, accessed 11 February 2019.
- ^ Кандидати за посланике (ЛИГА СОЦИЈАЛДЕМОКРАТА ВОЈВОДИНЕ - НЕНАД ЧАНАК), Provincial Election Commission of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 31 January 2019.
- ^ И З В Е Ш Т А Ј - О УКУПНИМ РЕЗУЛТАТИМА ИЗБОРА ЗА ПОСЛАНИКЕ У СКУПШТИНУ АУТОНОМНЕ ПОКРАЈИНЕ ВОЈВОДИНЕ РАСПИСАНИХ ЗА 06. МАЈ 2012. ГОДИНЕ, Provincial Election Commission of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 31 January 2019.
- ^ Изборне листе за изборе за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне покрајине Војводине (Изборна листа 4 - Ненад Чанак – Лига социјалдемократа Војводине – Дигни главу!), Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 11 May 2018.
- ^ Одлука о изменама Извештаја о укупним резултатима избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне покрајине Војводине одржаних 24. априла 2016. године, Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 6 September 2018.
- ^ Robert Kolar, Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 11 February 2019.
- ^ Избори за народне посланике 2016. године » Изборне листе (БОРИС ТАДИЋ, ЧЕДОМИР ЈОВАНОВИЋ - САВЕЗ ЗА БОЉУ СРБИЈУ – Либерално демократска партија, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Социјалдемократска странка), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 26 January 2017. He received the 221st position out of 250. The list won thirteen mandates.