page_title: Serbs of Vukovar
section_title: Political influence
hierarchical_section_title: Serbs of Vukovar / Political influence
caption_attribution_description: English: Independent Democratic Serb Party 2019 European Parliament Election Campaign in Vukovar, Croatia.
context_page_description: The Serbs of Vukovar are one of traditional communities living in the multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional eastern Croatian town of Vukovar. Serb community constitute slightly over one third of the entire population of Vukovar according to 2011 Census. Other significant communities include Croat majority, as well as Hungarians, Slovaks, Rusyns, Ukrainians and historically Yugoslavs, Germans, Jews, Vlachs and Turks. Town is seat of numerous ethnic organizations and institutions including the headquarters of the Joint Council of Municipalities and the Independent Democratic Serb Party. Surrounding rural region is ethnically heterogeneous with Serb rural communities constituting majority in physically adjacent Borovo and municipalities of Trpinja and Negoslavci. Vukovar lies on the state border with the Republic of Serbia yet the closest border crossings on Danube River are in Erdut and Ilok. Prominent Serbs from Croatia include Zaharije Orfelin and Siniša Mihajlović
context_section_description: Serbs are playing prominent role in a political life of the town. Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities in the Republic of Croatia is providing legal guaranties for the proportional representation of Serbs in all institutions of the town including proportional representation in the local Council. Since the end of the Croatian War of Independence member of the Serb community is guaranteed right to hold the post of town's vice-major. On October 2, 1997 Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan expressed concern that power sharing agreement between Croat and Serb political parties is not working well due to demonstrable lack of commitment by Croatian officials. As of December 2018 Serb vice-major of Vukovar was Srđan Milaković of the Independent Democratic Serb Party. The party was established in 1997 and its headquarters are located in Vukovar. It is dominant party controlling all mandates guaranteed to Serb community in Croatian Parliament. There is also non-parliamentary nationalist Party of Danube Serbs.
  Significant number of Serbs in Vukovar and eastern Slavonia traditionally vote for parties without ethnic name. The most popular among them is the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), successor of the League of Communists of Croatia, Croatian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Serbs in Vukovar may vote for SDP as a part of tactical voting against local Croatian nationalism. In 2015 Croatian political party Most accused the SDP of fictive votes by voters from Serbia. Most's statements were denied by the Ministry of Public Administration Arsen Bauk.
  In 2013 introduction of Serbian language in official use triggered Anti-Cyrillic protests in Croatia with situation remaining open political controversy.
  In January 2019 Mayor of Vukovar Ivan Penava of the Croatian Democratic Union said that Vukovar was the "epicenter of continued, creeping Greater Serbian aggression." Some of the media reported that major will leave his party what he denied. Subsequently, he meet with the Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković who stated that "HDZ policy was defined by the party leadership, while mayor Penava should deal with issues pertaining to the town of Vukovar". Prime Minister also stated that it is his party strategic interest to cooperate with the Independent Democratic Serb Party and the Serb community, policy which was based on the policy of the first Croatian President Franjo Tuđman and that major Penava should understand it even better as fellow citizens from Serb minority have supported him at the Vukovar elections.
  The town was criticized by Serbian right-wing nationalist Dveri movement for the exclusion of its Serb history as there is not a single street named after notable Vukovar Serb, Serb historical monuments are not promoted by the local tourism office and cultural events are not even mentioned in the town's annual almanac.
caption: SDSS' 2019 European Parliament election jumbo poster in Vukovar.
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