In July 1999, in the aftermath of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bombing of Yugoslavia, Jovanović led the Niš municipal assembly in endorsing a motion demanding Slobodan Milošević's resignation as president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Jovanović described social and economic conditions in Niš as catastrophic during this time, saying, "Before the war, there were 40,000 unemployed and 30,000 on paid leave. Now we have another 10,000 unemployed."