The Democratic Movement of Serbia () or DEPOS was a Serbian political coalition that existed between 1992 and 1994.
Initially, the DEPOS was a right-wing coalition led by the conservative monarchist Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) of Vuk Drašković. Aside from the SPO, the coalition included New Democracy, the Serbian Liberal Party (SLS) and would lead to a split within the centrist Democratic Party (DS) with the right-wing faction led by Vojislav Koštunica splitting to join the DEPOS under the name Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). The leadership of the DS refused to join the coalition due to its anti-secular and monarchist positions, as well as its use of Chetnik imagery. The DEPOS was also joined by a group of independent intellectuals led by Matija Bećković. At its Vidovdan Assembly in June 1992, the coalition was supported by Patriarch Pavle, Crown Prince Alexander, as well as the leader of the concurrent 1992 student protest, Dragan Đilas.
In the 1992 election, the DEPOS supported the independent candidate, Serbian-American businessman Milan Panić, against sitting President Slobodan Milošević, backed by his Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). The election ended in crushing defeat for the opposition with Panić finishing second and the DEPOS being forced into third place in the parliamentary election by the up until then marginal Serbian Radical Party (SRS). After the new ruling SPS-SRS majority introduced changes to the functioning of the upper house of the Federal Assembly, the DEPOS split over tactics with the DSS and SLS supporting a continued parliamentary boycott, while the SPO and ND returned to parliament in April 1993. During this time, Drašković would align with the ruling SPS, the DS and the Civic Alliance of Serbia (GSS) in support of the Vance-Owen peace plan for ending the Bosnian War. The plan was opposed by Koštunica, the DSS and SLS.
Shortly reunited in the summer of 1993 during Vuk Drašković's arrest, detention and hunger strike, the SPO and DSS would ultimately run in the 1993 election separately, while the SLS decided to boycott the election. The DEPOS was refounded in November 1993 as a coalition of the SPO, New Democracy and the anti-war GSS. This marked the culmination of Drašković's evolution from his more hard-line nationalist background into centre-right, civic-national and anti-war positions. The renewed DEPOS achieved a slightly worse result compared to the 1992 election, although it consolidated its voter base and became the second largest parliamentary grouping.
The coalition fell apart in February 1994 when New Democracy formed a coalition government with Milošević's SPS, however its remaining constituents would continue to cooperate and would go on to form the Together coalition with the DS in 1996.
Background In early 1992, the Serbian opposition seized the opportunity offered by the de-escalation of the War in Croatia following the Sarajevo Agreement and started to unite against the ruling SPS government and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević. On 9 February, the Democratic Party (DS) presented its petition titled the "Proclamation of the Democratic Party to the Serbian Public". The petition called for Milošević to resign and for elections for a constituent assembly to be held without delay, citing his responsibility for the crushing defeat suffered by Serbia "on the national, economic and social levels", as well as having been "left as the greatest losers in the breakup of Yugoslavia". The DS petition was signed by the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), New Democracy, the Serbian Liberal Party (SLS), the People's Peasant Party (NSS) and the recently renamed Reformist Party, previously the Serbian section of the Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia. It would ultimately gather 840,000 signatures.
The opposition held a rally on 9 March, the anniversary of the 1991 Belgrade protests. Around 50,000 opposition supporters gathered outside the Church of Saint Sava, where they were addressed by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle. Despite the considerable pressure exerted on him to dissuade him from speaking, Pavle addressed the crowd in opposition to the "fratricidal war". Concurrently, renewed student protests were organized at Terazije. The rally was opposed by President of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić. This meeting would start renewed calls for unifying the opposition, especially from a group of Serbian intellectuals gathered around Matija Bećković, Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz and Predrag Palavestra. The three had previously formed the royalist Crown Council of the Karađorđević dynasty on 15 February.
The DS led by Dragoljub Mićunović ultimately declined to join a new alliance after meeting with the group of intellectuals on 1 and 21 April. He would argue against the idea of a "grand coalition", as well as citing ideological differences between his left-wing faction of the party which had its origins in the Praxis School and the coalition, which was anti-secular, monarchist and employed Chetnik imagery. SPO leader Vuk Drašković agreed to join this coalition and met with Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia to discuss his support, as well as with the right wing of the DS centered around Vojislav Koštunica and Vladeta Janković. He announced the formation of this coalition on 13 May at Ravna Gora in an address to supporters of his party, adding its main goal would be overthrowing communism.
History Formation
Following the formation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 27 April 1992, the Serbian and Montenegrin members of the Federal Council of the Yugoslav parliament brought forward a new electoral law and called for new elections on 31 May without previously consulting with opposition parties. Because of this, as well as the opposition being allowed neither equal access to the media during the campaign nor adequate financial help from the state, the opposition decided to boycott the May 1992 parliamentary election in both Serbia and Montenegro.
The DEPOS coalition held its first meeting on 23 May 1992. It defined its main goal as the establishment of a democratic order in Serbia, and called for canceling the elections scheduled for 31 May and a round table between the government and opposition parties with the goal of preparing free and fair elections for a constituent assembly which would decide on its preferred form of rule. The coalition advocated for a democratic Serbian state aligned with the international community with the goal of securing Serbia's place among "the union of free and civilized nations of the world".
The DEPOS initially included the SPO, SLS, New Democracy and the Peasants Party of Serbia (SSS). While DS leader Dragoljub Mićunović refused to join the DEPOS due to important differences in ideology and identity, a faction under Vojislav Koštunica styling themselves the "Democrats for DEPOS" emerged. The faction hailed broadly from the right or anti-communist wing of the DS who had remained in the party following the departure of the SLS under Kosta Čavoški. A prominent member the group rallied around was the writer Borislav Pekić, who espoused a more democratic nationalist program for the DS. Despite his death in May 1992, his circle separated from the DS on 26 July and transformed into the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) which would join the DEPOS. Its youth wing was named the Alliance of Democratic Youth of Serbia after the interwar Democratic Party's youth organization which Pekić had been a member of. Inside the DEPOS, the DSS was especially backed by some of the DEPOS intellectuals less keen on backing Drašković, like Matija Bećković.
Vidovdan Assembly From 28 June to 5 July 1992, the DEPOS coalition organized the Vidovdan Assembly. Meetings were held every day in front of the Federal Assembly building in Belgrade. Citizens were addressed by Drašković, Bećković, Vladeta Janković and Nikola Milošević in front of DEPOS and Vojislav Koštunica in front of the Democrats for DEPOS faction, as well as prominent public figures such as Patriarch Pavle, Crown Prince Alexander, the actor Miloš Žutić and Dragan Đilas, the leader of a concurrent student protest. The assembly called for President Milošević to step down, as well as the formation of a "government of national salvation". It was attended by around 200 to 500 thousand people according to foreign observers, with the Studio B citing the number of 700 thousand. The government refused to step down, but agreed to a round table where the electoral system would be discussed, with the government supporting a first-past-the-post system and the opposition a proportional one.
The DEPOS was formally founded as a political organization on 28 August 1992 in Belgrade. In addition to the SPO, DSS, SLS, ND and SSS, the DEPOS was also joined by a group of independent public figures including the painter Mića Popović, the architect Ivan Antić, as well as writers Danko Popović, Slobodan Selenić and Ljubomir Simović.
December 1992 election In July 1992, Milošević invited Serbian American businessman Milan Panić to take over the position of Federal Prime Minister, trying to project a more moderate image for the government both at home and abroad. However, a rift formed between the two almost immediately, and in early August the federal government stated its support for the opposition's proposal for early elections. The elections were ultimately held under a proportional system.
In late October 1992, the National Assembly acquiesced to the opposition's demands and decided to hold elections at all levels. On 27 October, the constitutional electoral law was modified and a new law on local government was passed, allowing the opposition to capitalize on its activities during the previous two years. Federal President Dobrica Ćosić emerged as an ally in Panić's split with Milošević, and on 3 November, Drašković invited him to unite the opposition for the election. Panić gathered the opposition for round table talks on several occasions, where they agreed to form the short-lived Democratic Coalition (DEKO). The DEKO would include the DEPOS, the DS, the Civic Alliance of Serbia (GSS) and Čedomir Mirković's Social Democratic Party. However, it split two days later, and a decision was made to participate in the election in two separate lists, with the DS and the DEPOS each putting forth separate candidates. In addition to the DS, the SSS also ran independently. The DEPOS decided to participate in the election after internal deliberation, a move largely opposed by the DSS and SLS who favored a boycott, and supported by the SPO and ND. The coalition agreed to support Vuk Drašković as presidential candidate on 17 November.
In late November, Ćosić decided against formally endorsing any opposition party, despite the DS trying to win his support due to his disapproval of monarchist imagery promoted by the DEPOS. Panić's ministers from the SPS started resigning, and he replaced several with DS members and Social Democrats. This caused several voices from the DEPOS to speak out against him accusing him of harboring leftist biases, mainly the SLS and the leader of SPO's parliamentary group Slobodan Rakitić.