2004 Serbian local elections
Local elections were held in Serbia (excluding Kosovo) on 19 September and 3 October 2004, concurrently with the 2004 Vojvodina provincial election. This was the only local election cycle held while Serbia was a member of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. This was the first cycle of local elections held in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milošević in October 2000, and the voting procedure was significantly changed from the previous cycle. Under the prior system, local assembly members were elected by first-past-the-post balloting in single-member constituencies. The 2004 elections  were held under a system of proportional representation. This cycle also saw the introduction of direct election for the mayors in most of Serbia's cities and municipalities (though not in the constituent municipalities of the City of Belgrade); the mayors were elected over two rounds, with the second round of voting taking place on 3 October 2004. The direct election of mayors was later abandoned, and in future election cycles the mayors were chosen by the elected members of the local assemblies. One-third of assembly mandates were assigned to candidates from successful electoral lists in numerical order. The  other two-thirds were assigned to other candidates on the same lists at the discretion of the sponsoring parties or coalitions; at least one quarter of the latter mandates were to be assigned to "members of the less represented sex on the list" (which, in practical terms, usually meant that these mandates were reserved for female candidates). For the newly restructured constituent municipalities of Niš, elections were held for mayors and for members of nine-person municipal councils (rather than municipal assemblies). The campaign saw growth in support for both the centre-left Democratic Party and the far-right Serbian  Radical Party, both of which were at the time in opposition in the republican parliament. The most closely watched election was that for mayor of Belgrade. In the second round of voting, Democratic Party candidate Nenad Bogdanović narrowly defeated Aleksandar Vučić, who was at the time a member of the Radical Party. Results. Belgrade. City of Belgrade. The Democratic Party won both the mayoral election and a plurality victory in the city assembly. Bogdanović died on 27 September 2007. He was replaced on an interim basis by Zoran Alimpić, also of the Democratic Party. The results of the election for  the City Assembly of Belgrade were as follows: The Democratic Alternative list did not receive three per cent of the total vote and so fell below the electoral threshold. Municipalities of Belgrade. Municipal assembly elections were held in sixteen of Belgrade's seventeen constituent municipalities. The exception was Barajevo, where a special off-year election had taken place in 2003. The elections were generally a success for the Democratic Party, which finished first in most municipalities and ultimately attained the mayoralty in eleven. The Radicals won the mayor's offices in Zemun and Surčin, the Democratic Party of Serbia won  the mayoralty in Lazarevac, and independents were chosen as mayor in Grocka and Sopot. Barajevo. There was no election for the Municipal Assembly of Barajevo in 2004. The previous election had taken place in 2002, and the next took place in 2006. Čukarica. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Čukarica were as follows: Dragan Tešić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. Grocka. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Grocka were as follows: Although the Radicals technically won a plurality victory, the election did not even come close  to producing a clear winner, and the next four years saw several changes in the local government. Blažo Stojanović, elected at the head of an independent list, was chosen as mayor after the election, in an alliance with the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Serbia, the Serbian Renewal Movement, the Strength of Serbia Movement, and the Social Democratic Party. The coalition fell apart in mid-2005, and local Radical Party leader Dragoljub Simonović became mayor at the head of a new governing alliance. In late 2005, Stojanović was able to return as mayor with a coalition including the Socialists, the  Democratic Party of Serbia, the Serbian Renewal Movement, the Social Democratic Party, and Vladan Zarić's list. The Socialists and the Democratic Party withdrew their support in mid-2007, and Stojanović created a new coalition including the Radicals and Strength of Serbia Movement. One member of Strength of Serbia defected to the opposition in December 2007, leading to a period of confusion in which both the government and opposition claimed to control a majority of seats. This lasted until new local elections took place in May 2008. Lazarevac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Lazarevac were as  follows: The election did not produce a clear winner. Branko Borić of the Democratic Party of Serbia was subsequently chosen as mayor. Mladenovac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Mladenovac were as follows: Incumbent mayor Zoran Kostić of the Democratic Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election. New Belgrade. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of New Belgrade were as follows: Incumbent mayor Željko Ožegović of the Democratic Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election, with the support of thirty-eight delegates. Nenad Milenković was  one of the DS candidates elected to the assembly. Obrenovac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Obrenovac were as follows: Although the Radical Party technically won the election, it could not command a majority of seats in the assembly. Nebojša Ćeran of the Democratic Party was selected as mayor. Palilula. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Palilula were as follows: Danilo Bašić of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. Rakovica. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Rakovica were as follows: Bojan Milić of the  Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. Savski Venac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Savski Venac were as follows: Tomislav Đorđević of the Democratic Party was selected as mayor after the election. A member of the Democratic Party of Serbia was chosen as deputy mayor. Sopot. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Sopot were as follows: Incumbent mayor Živorad Milosavljević of the "For the Municipality of Sopot" list was confirmed for another term in office after the election. Stari Grad. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly  of Stari Grad were as follows: Incumbent mayor Mirjana Božidarević of the Democratic Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election. Nemanja Šarović was elected from the first position on the Radical Party's list. Surčin. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Surčin were as follows: Rajko Matović of the Radical Party was chosen as mayor after the election. After a period of political upheaval, Vojislav Janošević of the Democratic Party became mayor in November 2005. Voždovac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Voždovac were as follows: Vračar. The  results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vračar were as follows: Incumbent mayor Milena Milošević of the Democratic Party was confirmed for another term in office after the election. Her deputy mayor was a member of the Democratic Party of Serbia. Milošević was replaced by Branimir Kuzmanović on 13 June 2006. Zemun. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zemun were as follows: Gordana Pop Lazić of the Radical Party was selected as mayor after the election, with support from the Socialists and the Strength of Serbia Movement. Parliamentarian Vjerica Radeta was elected as a  Radical Party delegate. Zvezdara. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Zvezdara were as follows: Milan Popović of the Democratic Party was chosen as mayor after the election. Ljubiša Stojmirović of the Radical Party became mayor on 18 February 2005; Popović returned to office on 28 June of the same year. Vojvodina. North Bačka District. Local elections were held in all three municipalities in the North Bačka District, and the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians won the mayoralties in all three jurisdictions. In Subotica, the party won a narrow victory over the Democratic Party; in the two other  municipalities, candidates of the party won in local alliances with the Democrats. Subotica. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Subotica were as follows: Bačka Topola. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bačka Topola were as follows: Future parliamentarian Árpád Fremond appeared on the list of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, although he was not awarded a mandate on this occasion. Mali Iđoš. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Mali Iđoš were as follows: South Bačka District. Elections were held in the one city (Novi Sad) and all eleven  separate municipalities in the South Bačka District. The City of Novi Sad comprises two municipalities (the City municipality of Novi Sad and Petrovaradin), although their powers are very limited relative to the city government. Unlike Belgrade, Niš, and Vranje, Novi Sad does not have directly elected municipal assemblies. The Radical Party performed unexpectedly well in South Bačka, narrowly winning the mayoral contest in Novi Sad and also winning the mayoralties of five other municipalities. The Democratic Party and G17 won two mayoral contests apiece, a candidate of the People's Democratic Party won in Bečej, and independent candidate Branko Gajin  won in Srbobran. Novi Sad. The results of the election for the City Assembly of Novi Sad were as follows: The Radicals attained a working majority in the assembly with the support of the Socialists and the Democratic Party of Serbia (whose delegates aligned with the Radicals over the objections of the party's leadership). Former mayor Milorad Mirčić, who had been defeated in 2000, was re-elected to the assembly after receiving the seventh position on the Radical Party's list. Bač. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bač were as follows: Bačka Palanka. The  results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bačka Palanka were as follows: The municipal assembly was not properly constituted after the election, and a new local election was held in December 2005. The Radical Party won fourteen seats in the re-vote, the Democratic Party eight seats, the Socialist Party of Serbia five seats, the Strength of Serbia Movement five seats, the Democratic Party of Serbia four seats, G17 Plus four seats, and the Serbian Renewal Movement two seats. Bački Petrovac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bački Petrovac were as follows: Bečej. The  People's Democratic Party merged into the Democratic Party of Serbia in late 2004; Predin did not participate in the merger but instead joined the Strength of Serbia Movement. He was defeated in a recall election in late 2005, and a new mayoral election was held the following year. The latter election was won by Dušan Jovanović of the Democratic Party of Serbia. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Bečej were as follows: Beočin. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Beočin were as follows: Srbobran. The results of the election for the  Municipal Assembly of Srbobran were as follows: Sremski Karlovci. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Sremski Karlovci were as follows: Temerin. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Temerin were as follows: Titel. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Titel were as follows: Vrbas. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Vrbas were as follows: Žabalj. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Žabalj were as follows: West Bačka District. Elections were held in all four municipalities of the West Bačka District. The  Democratic Party won the mayoralty in Sombor, the largest community, while the Socialists won in Apatin and the Radicals won in Kula and Odžaci. Subsequently, the Radical Party mayor in Kula was defeated in a recall election, and the Democratic Party won the by-election that followed. Sombor. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Sombor were as follows: Future parliamentarian Žika Gojković of the Serbian Renewal Movement was elected on the SPO–NDS list. Apatin. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Apatin were as follows: Kula. Đuričić was defeated in a recall  election in 2006, and a mayoral by-election was held later in the year. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Kula were as follows: Odžaci. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Odžaci were as follows: Central Serbia (excluding Belgrade). Nišava District. Local elections were held in the City of Niš, the five constituent municipalities of Niš, and five of the six other municipalities in the Nišava District. The exception was Ražanj, where the last elections had taken place in 2002. In the constituent municipalities of Niš, elections were held for nine-member  municipal councils rather than full municipal assemblies. Smiljko Kostić of New Serbia's political coalition somewhat unexpectedly won the mayoral contest in Niš, defeating Democratic Party incumbent Goran Ćirić in the second round. It was only with difficulty that Kostić established a functional coalition government supported by the assembly, where New Serbia won only four out of sixty-one seats. The Democratic Party won two of Niš's municipal mayoralties, and a candidate of the Serbian Renewal Movement aligned with the Democratic Party won a third. The Serbian Radical Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia split the remaining two . There was no clear pattern outside the city, where the Radicals won in Aleksinac, a local group aligned with the Strength of Serbia Movement won in Doljevac, the Socialist Party of Serbia won in Gadžin Han, an independent won in Merošina, and G17 Plus won in Svrljig. Generally, there was a trend toward membership of the local assemblies being divided among multiple parties, often with no group holding a clear advantage. Niš. The results of the election for the City Assembly of Niš were as follows: Crveni Krst. The results of the election for the Municipal Council of Crveni Krst  were as follows: Medijana. The results of the election for the Municipal Council of Medijana were as follows: Niška Banja. The results of the election for the Municipal Council of Niška Banja were as follows: Palilula, Niš. Đorđević left the Serbian Renewal Movement in November 2007 and joined G17 Plus in March 2008. The results of the election for the Municipal Council of Palilula, Niš, were as follows: Pantelej. Bratislav Blagojević was expelled from the Democratic Party in June 2005 and later joined G17 Plus. The results of the election for the Municipal Council of Pantelej were as follows: Aleksinac . The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aleksinac were as follows: Doljevac. Ljubić later switched his affiliation to New Serbia. He was also the leader of a local group called "Movement for the South," which worked in alignment with the aforementioned parties. There was an effort to initiate a recall vote against Ljubić in 2005, although it is not clear if the question made it to ballot. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Doljevac were as follows: Gadžin Han. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Gadžin Han were as  follows: Merošina. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Merošina were as follows: Ražanj. There were no municipal elections in Ražanj in 2004. The previous elections had taken place in 2002-03, and the next elections took place in 2006. Svrljig. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Svrljig were as follows: Šumadija District. Local elections were held in all seven of the Šumadija District's municipalities. The Serbian Renewal Movement won the mayoral contests in four jurisdictions (including Kragujevac), either on its own or in alliance with other parties. The Democratic Party won  in Batočina, and a party candidate also won in Knić in alliance with the Serbian Renewal Movement. The Serbian Radical Party won in Aranđelovac, while a Democratic Party of Serbia–New Serbia alliance won in Topola. Kragujevac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Kragujevac were as follows: Aranđelovac. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Aranđelovac were as follows: Batočina. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Batočina were as follows: Knić. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Knić were as follows: Lapovo. The results of  the election for the Municipal Assembly of Lapovo were as follows: Rača. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Rača were as follows: Topola. The results of the election for the Municipal Assembly of Topola were as follows: