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Milan Krkobabić

Milan Krkobabić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Кркобабић; born 12 October 1952) is a Serbian politician. A member of the Krkobabić political family, he has led the Party of United Pensioners, Farmers, and Proletarians of Serbia (PUPS) since 2014.[1] He was a minister without portfolio in Serbia's government from 2016 to 2020 and has been minister of rural welfare since October 2020. Krkobabić previously served as deputy mayor of Belgrade from 2008 to 2012.

Milan Krkobabić
Милан Кркобабић
Krkobabić in 2019
Minister of Rural Welfare
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 October 2020
Prime Minister
Preceded byOffice established
Minister without portfolio in charge of regional development
In office
11 August 2016 – 28 October 2020
Prime MinisterAleksandar Vučić
Ivica Dačić (acting)
Ana Brnabić
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia
In office
6 February 2024 – 30 April 2024
In office
1 August 2022 – 24 October 2022
In office
3 August 2020 – 26 October 2020
In office
31 May 2012 – 11 August 2016
Leader of the Party of United Pensioners, Farmers, and Proletarians of Serbia – Solidarity and Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 2014
Preceded byJovan Krkobabić
Personal details
Born (1952-10-12) 12 October 1952 (age 72)
Kačarevo, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Political partyPUPS
ChildrenStefan Krkobabić
ParentJovan Krkobabić
Alma materUniversity of Belgrade
Other offices
  • 2012–2016: Director of Pošta Srbije
  • 19 August 2008–12 June 2012: Deputy Mayor of Belgrade
  • 14 July 2008–19 August 2008; 12 June 2012–18 November 2013; 23 April 2014–28 May 2014: Member of the City Assembly of Belgrade

Early life and career

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Krkobabić was born in Kačarevo, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in what was then the People's Republic of Serbia in the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. He later moved with his family to Belgrade, where he completed high school and graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics. He has thirty years of experience in the financial sector.[2]

His father, Jovan Krkobabić, was the founder and first leader of the PUPS.

Politician

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Krkobabić joined the PUPS on its formation as the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia in 2005; the party was known by this name until June 2022. It contested the 2007 Serbian parliamentary election on a combined electoral list with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Krkobabić was included in the 105th position.[3] The list did not cross the electoral threshold to win representation in the national assembly.

City of Belgrade

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The PUPS formed an alliance with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) prior to the 2008 parliamentary election. Krkobabić was not a candidate at the republic level in that year but instead received the second position on a SPS-led list in the concurrent 2008 Belgrade city assembly election. The list won six seats, and he was given a mandate.[4][5] Neither the republic nor the Belgrade city elections produced a clear winner, and representatives of the Socialist Party, the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) discussed forming coalition governments at both levels of administration. Krkobabić said that this arrangement would be acceptable to the PUPS as it would ensure passage of some of the party's program.[6]

Negotiations among these parties subsequently broke down, and the Socialists instead formed coalition governments at both the republic and city levels with the For a European Serbia (ZES) alliance led by the Democratic Party (DS). The PUPS participated in the new governments, and Krkobabić said it would use its influence to fight for a pension increase and resist any efforts to impose neoliberal reforms.[7] He became Belgrade's deputy mayor, serving under Dragan Đilas.[8]

In October 2009, Krkobabić and Russian ambassador Aleksandr Konuzin inaugurated a statue of Alexander Pushkin in the centre of Belgrade, not far from the statues of Cyril and Methodius and Vuk Karadžić.[9]

Krkobabić later defended Belgrade's decision to erect a statue of former Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev in Tašmajdan Park, which the government of Azerbaijan had donated two million Euros to renovate following extensive damage in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The statue attracted controversy due to the Azerbaijani president's human rights record while in office. Krkobabić said in response, "Our principle was not to be policemen and to investigate what was done in the past because we would not have time for that. Our principle was to draw a line and to move forward. In these hard times, we are trying to accept every act of goodwill by various countries and to use them for the benefit of the citizens of Belgrade."[10]

National Assembly member and Pošta Srbije director

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The PUPS maintained its alliance with the Socialist Party for the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election. Krkobabić was a spokesperson for his party in this campaign, highlighting its promise to protect and improve pensions.[11] He was given the thirteenth position on the SPS's list and was elected to his first term in the national assembly when the list won forty-four mandates.[12] He also received the second position on the Socialist-led list in the concurrent 2012 Belgrade election and was re-elected when the list won thirteen seats.[13] He served in both assemblies under a dual mandate, although he did not continue as deputy mayor.

The Socialist Party formed a new coalition government with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and other parties at the republic level after the 2012 election, and the PUPS was included in the government. Krkobabić led the PUPS group in the national assembly.[14]

He was appointed as director of the state-owned corporation Pošta Srbije in late 2012 and afterward announced plans to privatize certain entities owned by the corporation, including Telekom Srbija and the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.[15][16] He said that the corporation itself would not be privatized but would seek to acquire assets in other Balkan states.[17] He was quoted as saying, "We will not repeat the experiences from the neighbouring countries. This system will strengthen, it will be profitable, fill the budget and create new jobs. We put an end to all attempts to sell, sell off, and disintegrate the system."[18] In the same period, Krkobabić said that the corporation would focus on completing a number of capital investment projects, including a central postal hub in Belgrade.[19] In July 2013, he announced that Pošta Srbije had tripled its net income in the first six months of the year.[20]

Despite its alliance with the Socialists and Progressives at the republic level, the PUPS initially continued to work in a coalition government with the DS in Belgrade. In this period, Krkobabić supported Đilas's administration at the city level and opposed the SNS's efforts to change the government.[21][22] In November 2012, he was a guest at the Democratic Party convention that elected Đilas as the party's new leader.[23] This alliance did not last, however, and in September 2013 Krkobabić and the PUPS withdrew their support from Đilas in a crucial vote of non-confidence.[24] Đilas lost his assembly majority and resigned as mayor. These events led to new republican and city elections in early 2014.

Krkobabić was promoted to the second position on the Socialist-led list in the 2014 republic election.[25] During the campaign, he said that Serbian politics had become marked by "a split between the left and the right, where the left is working for the people, and the right-wing is lining its pockets." Progressive Party leader Aleksandar Vučić responded by saying, "if that's the way to look at it, Krkobabić belongs to the extreme right-wing."[26] The Socialist list again won forty-four mandates, and Krkobabić was elected to a second term. The Progressive Party and its allies won a majority victory and afterward formed a new coalition government that again included the Socialists. The PUPS did not participate directly in the government but provided outside support; notwithstanding his exchange with Vučić in the campaign, Krkobabić became part of the latter's assembly majority. In his second term, Krkobabić was a member of the administrative committee[a][27] and continued to serve as Pošta Srbije director.

Krkobabić also received the second position on the Socialist-led list in the 2014 Belgrade city election.[28] He was re-elected when the list won sixteen seats but resigned from the city assembly shortly thereafter.[29][30]

Early years as party leader

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Jovan Krkobabić died in April 2014, and Milan was chosen to lead the PUPS in June of the same year.

In July 2014, he indicated that the PUPS would support two contentious bills dealing with changes to labour law and pension and disability insurance. He justified this decision on the basis that the reforms "[did] not affect the existing pensioners."[31] He supported direct payouts to Pošta Srbije workers in October of the same year, saying that the workers should receive a percentage of the corporation's profits.[32]

Vučić and Krkobabić opened Pošta Srbije's central Belgrade hub on 9 October 2014.[33] The corporation continued to earn net profits through 2015, and Krkobabić again opposed calls for its privatization.[34][35][36][37] In October 2015, he noted that Toshiba had expressed interest in pairing with Pošta Srbije for investments in Russia.[38] The following year, he and Rasim Ljajić, Serbia's minister of trade, tourism, and telecommunications, signed a collective agreement with Pošta Srbije workers that, among other things, confirmed their right to a share of the corporation's profits.[39]

In May 2016, he announced that Pošta Srbije would set up a commercial bank.[40]

Government minister

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The PUPS ended its electoral alliance with the Socialist Party and formed a new partnership with the Progressives for the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election. Krkobabić received the fourth position on the SNS-led list and was re-elected when it won a second consecutive majority with 131 out of 250 mandates.[41] On 11 August 2016, he was appointed as a minister without portfolio in Vučić's administration, with responsibility for regional development.[42] He stood down as director of Pošta Srbije shortly thereafter, as he could not hold both positions concurrently.[43] He was later given further responsibilities as chair of Serbia's council for coordination of activities and measures for gross domestic product (GDP) growth.[44]

Krkobabić was reaffirmed as a minister without portfolio when Ana Brnabić replaced Vučić as prime minister of Serbia in June 2017.[45] Shortly after this, he announced a significant government investment in agricultural co-operatives to ensure that younger people could choose to live in rural settings.[46][47] In January 2018, he said that 250 co-operatives had been created under his government's supervision; two years later, he said that the number had increased to 722.[48][49][50] During this period, Krkobabić described the co-operatives as the greatest existing opportunity for the survival of Serbia's family farms.[51]

The PUPS continued its alliance with the Progressive Party in the 2020 Serbian parliamentary election. Krkobabić received the twenty-fourth position on the Progressive-led electoral list and was again elected to the assembly when the list won a landslide victory with 188 seats.[52] (His son Stefan Krkobabić was also elected as a PUPS member.) He was promoted to a full cabinet portfolio in October 2020 as Serbia's first minister for rural welfare.[53] After his appointment, he said that one of his priorities would be organizing the transfer of uncultivated state land to young farmers and young experts.[54] In April 2021, he spoke in favour of a "green ring" around Belgrade to supply fresh and healthy food products to Belgrade and other Serbian cities. At the same time, he announced a program for allocating empty houses, of which he said there were around 150,000 in Serbia.[55] In January 2022, he said that half a billion dollars would be directed for the purchase and allocation of another five hundred houses in rural areas.[56]

Krkbabić received the thirty-fifth position on the SNS-led list in the 2022 Serbian parliamentary election and was elected to a fifth assembly term when the list won a plurality victory with 120 mandates.[57] He was re-appointed afterward to the same cabinet portfolio as before.[58][59] He continued to promote agricultural co-operatives; while opening a new co-operative school in Bač in October 2023, he said, "Co-operatives are a necessity for the survival of villages [...] And practice confirms that wherever there are successful cooperatives and villages, they are alive - with a rich cultural and sports life."[60]

He again appeared in the thirty-fifth position on the SNS-led list in the 2023 parliamentary election and was elected to a sixth term when the list won a majority victory with 129 seats.[61] He resigned his assembly seat on 30 April 2024 after being re-appointed as minister of rural welfare in Serbia's new ministry under Miloš Vučević.[62][63] In October 2024, he announced that 3,309 houses in total had been purchased under his department's program for young people to return to the countryside.[64]

Notes

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  1. ^ Formally known as the Committee on Administrative, Budgetary, Mandate, and Immunity Issues.

References

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  1. ^ "PUPS promenio ime", Danas, 21 June 2022, accessed 24 June 2022.
  2. ^ MILAN KRKOBABIĆ, Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 26 July 2018.
  3. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (9 Партија уједињених пензионера Србије (ПУПС) - Др Јован Кркобабић и Социјалдемократска партија (СДП) - Др Небојша Човић), Archived 2020-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 April 2024.
  4. ^ Službeni list, City of Belgrade, 30 April 2008, p. 7; and Službeni list, City of Belgrade, 15 July 2008.
  5. ^ For the 2008 local elections, all mandates were assigned to candidates on successful lists at the discretion of the sponsoring parties or coalitions. See Law on Local Elections (2007), Archived 2021-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000; made available via LegislationOnline, Archived 2021-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 7 April 2024. Krkobabić did not automatically receive a mandate by virtue of his position, though he was given an assembly mandate all the same. Serbia's electoral laws were reformed in 2011, such that mandates were awarded to candidates on successful lists in numerical order.
  6. ^ "Serbian Radicals, Socialists and PM's party sign deal on Belgrade," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 28 May 2008 (Source: Studio B TV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1100gmt 28 May 08).
  7. ^ Ivana Sekularac, "Next Serbia government to juggle reform, welfare," Reuters News, 24 June 2008.
  8. ^ "Belgrade gets new mayor from pro-Western party," Agence France Presse, 19 August 2008.
  9. ^ "SERBIA-RUSSIA: BELGRADO, STATUA PUSHKIN PER VISITA MEDVEDEV," ANSA - Foreign Affairs News Service, 19 October 2009.
  10. ^ "Serbian Capital To Erect Statue Of Former Azerbaijani President," Radio Free Europe Documents and Publications, 26 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Serbian TV views election campaigns of parties, coalitions," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 19 April 2012 (Source: RTS 1 TV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1730 gmt 17 Apr 12).
  12. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (7 ИВИЦА ДАЧИЋ - "СОЦИЈАЛИСТИЧКА ПАРТИЈА СРБИЈЕ (СПС), ПАРТИЈА УЈЕДИЊЕНИХ ПЕНЗИОНЕРА СРБИЈЕ (ПУПС), ЈЕДИНСТВЕНА СРБИЈА (ЈС)"), Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ Službeni list, City of Belgrade, 25 April 2012, p. 13; Službeni list, City of Belgrade, 25 May 2012, p. 3.
  14. ^ MILAN KRKOBABIĆ, Archived 2012-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Buyers sought for Telekom and Belgrade airport Nikola Tesla," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 6 November 2012.
  16. ^ "AERO: Privatization of Belgrade Airport possible next year?", Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 6 November 2012.
  17. ^ "Serbian postal carrier eyes regional peers for acquisition – media," SeeNews - The Corporate Wire, 8 February 2013. See also "Serbia: Poste Srbije's Director reveals expansion plans," Esmerk Eastern European News, 16 October 2014, and "Serbia: Posta Srbije on potential cooperation with several foreign firms," Esmerk Eastern European News, 19 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Sinteza - Daily Overview, Top Business Stories, Feb 11, 2013," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 11 February 2013.
  19. ^ "Posta Srbije plans to invest over 4.0 bln dinars (36 mln euro) in 2013 - media," SeeNews - The Corporate Wire, 31 December 2012.
  20. ^ "Sinteza - Daily Overview, Top Business Stories, Jul 18, 2013," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 18 July 2013. He made a similar announcement in a report on the first nine months of the year in October 2013. See "Posta Srbije earns 21.6 mln euro in 9-mo net profit," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 10 October 2013.
  21. ^ "Serbian Progressives seen 'tightening grip' on Belgrade mayor," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 12 November 2012 (Source: Vecernje novosti website, Belgrade, in Serbian 8 Nov 12).
  22. ^ "Serbian parties plan strategies to win capital mayoral vote - paper," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 24 September 2013 (Source: Blic website, Belgrade, in Serbian 0000 gmt 22 Sep 13).
  23. ^ "New leader vows to reform opposition party, draft plan for Serbia's recovery," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 November 2012 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 26 Nov 12).
  24. ^ "Mayor blames 'political deal' for his sacking" Archived 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, B92, 24 September 2013, accessed 27 July 2018.
  25. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 16. и 23. марта 2014. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (2 ИВИЦА ДАЧИЋ - "Социјалистичка партија Србије (СПС), Партија уједињених пензионера Србије (ПУПС), Јединствена Србија (ЈС)"), Archived 2020-08-09 at the Wayback Machine, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Serbian ruling party leader says 16 March election 'dead-heat race'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 13 March 2014 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 13 Mar 14).
  27. ^ MILAN KRKOBABIC, Archived 31 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 27 May 2022.
  28. ^ Изборне листе (2. ИВИЦА ДАЧИЋ – Социјалистичка партија Србије (СПС), Партија уједињених пензионера Србије (ПУПС), Јединствена Србија (ЈС) – Милан Кркобабић) Archived 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine (2014), City of Belgrade, accessed 27 July 2018.
  29. ^ Bojan Cvejić, "Đilas i Krkobabić idu iz Skupštine grada" Archived 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Danas, 15 May 2014, accessed 27 July 2018.
  30. ^ Službeni List (Grada Beograda), Volume 58 Number 44 (28 May 2014), p. 1.
  31. ^ "Two main union associations announce members' all-out strike, as parliament starts debating bills on changes to labor, pension insurance law," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 16 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Serbia: Posta Srbije requests payouts of RSD 35,000 per worker," Esmerk Eastern European News, 1 October 2014.
  33. ^ "Serbia: New regional postal and logistics centre Belgrade opens," Esmerk Eastern European News, 9 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Serbia: Poste Srbije's Director says company to be excluded from privatisation," Esmerk Eastern European News, 11 November 2014.
  35. ^ "Serbia: Posta Srbije posts results for Q1 of 2015," Esmerk Eastern European News, 1 May 2015.
  36. ^ "Serbia: Posta Srbije posts higher profit in first five months of 2015," Esmerk Eastern European News, 30 June 2015.
  37. ^ "Posta Srbije sees 2015 net profit at over 30 mln euro," SeeNews - The Corporate Wire, 8 December 2015.
  38. ^ "Serbia: Toshiba shows interest for cooperation with National Post," Esmerk Russian News, 9 October 2015.
  39. ^ "Serbia: Collective Bargaining signed in Poste Srbije," Esmerk Eastern European News, 9 March 2016.
  40. ^ "Serbia's state-owned postal operator plans to set up bank," SeeNews - The Corporate Wire, 5 May 2016.
  41. ^ Избори за народне посланике 2016. године – Изборне листе (1 АЛЕКСАНДАР ВУЧИЋ - СРБИЈА ПОБЕЂУЈЕ), Archived 2020-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 April 2024.
  42. ^ Nemanja Cabric, "Backgrounder: Makeup of Serbia's new cabinet," Xinhua News Agency, 11 August 2016.
  43. ^ "Serbia: Posta Srbije dismissed Director," Esmerk Eastern European News, 18 August 2016.
  44. ^ "Council for Coordination of Activities and Measures for GDP Growth founded," Emerging Markets Broker Reports Central Eastern Europe, 16 January 2017.
  45. ^ Nemanja Cabric, "Backgrounder: Makeup of Serbia's new cabinet," Xinhua News Agency, 29 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Serbia: Gov't secures EUR 25mn for new co-operatives," Esmerk Eastern European News, 5 July 2017. See also "Krkobabić: Zadruge - imperativ opstanka sela u regionu", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 23 November 2017, accessed 7 July 2020.
  47. ^ "il caso; Aiuti alle giovani coppie per trasferirsi nei campi," Il Piccolo, 2 August 2017.
  48. ^ "Vlada će ove godine izdvojiti 825 miliona dinara za zadruge", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 24 January 2018, accessed 7 July 2020.
  49. ^ "Krkobabić: Formirano 250 zadruga za godinu dana", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 4 July 2018, accessed 7 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Krkobabić: Dok je zadruga i zadrugara Srbija ne treba da brine", Danas, 3 July 2020, accessed 7 July 2020.
  51. ^ "Krkobabić: Šansa za opstanak gazdinstava je u zadrugarstvu", Danas, 1 February 2022, accessed 19 April 2022.
  52. ^ "Ko je sve na listi SNS za republičke poslanike?", Danas, 6 March 2020, accessed 30 June 2020.
  53. ^ Milan Krkobabic – Minister of Rural Welfare, The Government of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 8 December 2020.
  54. ^ "Milan Krkobabić u Intervjuu petkom: 'Zadatak nam je da mladi iz sela ne idu na čuku da hvataju signal za internet'", Danas, 30 October 2020, accessed 8 December 2020.
  55. ^ "Krkobabić: Zalažem se za jak zeleni prsten oko Beograda", Danas, 7 April 2021, accessed 29 April 2021.
  56. ^ "Krkobabić: Pola milijarde dinara za još 500 kuća u selima Srbije", Danas, 21 January 2022, accessed 19 April 2022.
  57. ^ "Ko su kandidati SNS za narodne poslanike?", Danas, 17 February 2022, accessed 17 April 2022.
  58. ^ "Brnabić concluded the list: These are the future ministers", B92, 25 October 2022, accessed 25 October 2022.
  59. ^ By virtue of accepting a cabinet position, he once again resigned from the legislature. See Current Legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 25 October 2022.
  60. ^ "Milan Krkobabić: Uspešna zadruga – živo selo", Politika, 17 October 2023, accessed 3 April 2024.
  61. ^ "Pogledajte ko su kandidati na Vučićevoj listi Srbija ne sme da stane", Danas, 3 November 2023, accessed 29 March 2024.
  62. ^ "Mandatar Miloš Vučević saopštio je sastav nove vlade Srbije: Sviće nova zora", Danas, 30 April 2024, accessed 1 May 2024.
  63. ^ Current Legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 1 May 2024.
  64. ^ "Sombor najpopularniji: Odobrena sredstva za kupovinu još 209 kuća na selu", Danas, 14 October 2024, accessed 16 November 2024.
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