Tihomir Petković () is a politician in Serbia. He served three terms as the mayor of Užice and has been a member of the National Assembly of Serbia since 2020. Formerly a prominent local figure in the Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Srbije, DSS), Petković has been a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) since 2013.
Private career Petković graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics in 1983. He subsequently managed the private trading company Gradina and worked for NIS Jugopetrol.Tihomir Petković: Curriculum vitae, City of Užice, accessed 27 August 2020.
Politician Municipal Petković appeared in the third position on the DSS's electoral list for the Užice municipal assembly in the 2004 Serbian local electionsSlužbeni List, Volume 39 Number 5 (8 September 2004), Municipality of Užice, p. 11. and was given a mandate after the list won seven seats.Službeni List, Volume 39 Number 9 (27 September 2004), Municipality of Užice, p. 1.Službeni List, Volume 39 Number 12 (1 November 2004), Municipality of Užice, p. 1. Two years later, he was elected as mayor of the municipality in a by-election. At the time, mayors in Serbia were chosen by direct election; Petković defeated a candidate from a coalition led by the rival Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS) in the second round of voting and served as mayor for the next two years. Concurrently, he was also one of Serbia's delegates to the Chamber of Local Authorities in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in the Council of Europe.Le Congrès des Pouvoirs Locaux et Régionaux de l'Europe Compte rendu des débats 14ème Session, 30 May–1 June 2007, p. 20.
Serbia changed its municipal election laws prior to the 2008 local elections, such that mayors were selected by local assemblies rather being directly elected. Petković led the DSS coalition list for Užice in this electoral cycle and was re-elected to the assembly when the list won seventeen mandates.Službeni List, Volume 43 Number 6 (30 April 2008), City of Užice, p. 3.Službeni List, Volume 43 Number 7 (14 May 2008), City of Užice, p. 2.Službeni List, Volume 43 Number 8 (24 June 2008), City of Užice, p. 1. The election was won by the DS and its allies, and Petković stood down as mayor. He again led the DSS list for the 2012 local electionsSlužbeni List, Volume 47 Number 6 (22 April 2012), City of Užice, p. 4. and was re-elected when the list won seven mandates.Službeni List, Volume 47 Number 8 (8 May 2012), City of Užice, p. 1.
Petković left the DSS in 2013 and joined the Progressive Party.N. Kovačević, "Petković viđen za gradonačelnika", Danas, 3 June 2013, accessed 27 August 2020. He was appointed to a second term as mayor of the city the following year, after the resignation of Saša Milošević.V. Lojanica, "Užički odbornici izabrali Tihomira Petkovića za gradonačelnika", Blic, 15 August 2014, accessed 27 August 2020."Užice dobilo novog gradonačelnika", Radio Television of Serbia, 15 August 2014, accessed 27 August 2020. He led the Progressive list in the 2016 local electionsSlužbeni List, Volume 51 Number 10 (13 April 2016), City of Užice, p. 1. and continued as mayor after the list won a majority victory.Službeni List, Volume 51 Number 11 (25 April 2016), City of Užice, pp. 2-3."Petković ponovo gradonačelnik", Danas, 22 June 2016, accessed 27 August 2020.
On returning to the mayor's office in 2014, Petković identified the city's water supply as his primary concern; in September 2016, he announced the beginning of a major reconstruction project of the city's drinking water facility.N. Janković, "Gradonačelnik Tihomir Petković: Užicu je voda prva briga", Novosti, 8 October 2014, accessed 27 August 2014."Petković: Uskoro početak rekonstrukcije Fabrike vode za piće u Užicu", Blic (Source: Beta), 21 September 2016, 21 September 2016, accessed 27 August 2020. See also Branko Pejović, "Užice se dogodine vraća na vodoakumulaciju Vrutci", Politika, 26 May 2017, accessed 27 August 2020. He did not seek re-election at the local level in 2020.
Parliamentarian Petković appeared in the seventy-first position on the DSS list in 2012 Serbian parliamentary election. The list won twenty-one mandates, and he was not returned.Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА СРБИЈЕ - ВОЈИСЛАВ КОШТУНИЦА), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 27 August 2017.
He received the 142nd position on the Progressive Party's Aleksandar Vučić — For Our Children list in the 2020 parliamentary election"Ko je sve na listi SNS za republičke poslanike?", Danas, 6 March 2020, accessed 30 June 2020. and was elected to the national assembly when the list won a landslide majority with 188 mandates. He is now a member of the assembly's foreign affairs committee and the committee on the economy, regional development, trade, tourism, and energy, and a member of Serbia's parliamentary friendship groups with Austria, Belarus, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.TIHOMIR PETKOVIC, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 25 January 2021.
Electoral record Local (Užice)
References