Milivoj Petrović (; born 1969) is a politician in Serbia. He was the mayor of Titel from 2001 to 2012 and was a member of the Assembly of Vojvodina from 2008 to 2012. He was also briefly recognized as a member of the National Assembly of Serbia in 2002. During his time as an elected official, Petrović was a member of the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS).
Private career Petrović is an agricultural technician in private life.Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска опозиција Србије – др Војислав Коштуница (Демократска странка, Демократска странка Србије, Социјалдемократија, Грађански савез Србије, Демохришћанска странка Србије, Нова Србија, Покрет за демократску Србију, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Реформска демократска странка Војводине, Коалиција Војводина, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Демократска алтернатива, Демократски центар, Нова демократија, Социјалдемократска унија, Санxачка демократска партија, Лига за Шумадију, Српски покрет отпора – Демократски покрет), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 26 January 2021.
Politician Parliamentarian and first term as mayor (2001–04) In 2000, the Democratic Party became part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad and ideologically diverse coalition of parties opposed to the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milošević and his allies. The DOS defeated Milošević in the 2000 Yugoslavian general election, a watershed moment in Yugoslavian and Serbian politics. The DOS also won majority victories in several municipalities in the concurrent 2000 Serbian local elections; in Titel, Milošević's Socialist Party retained power with a narrow victory.Izbori, 2000. Za Odbornike Skupština Opština i Gradova, Bureau of Statistics – Republic of Serbia, p. 45.
After Milošević's defeat in the Yugoslavian election, a new Serbian parliamentary election was called for December 2000. Petrović appeared in the 222nd position on the DOS"s electoral list.Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска опозиција Србије – др Војислав Коштуница (Демократска странка, Демократска странка Србије, Социјалдемократија, Грађански савез Србије, Демохришћанска странка Србије, Нова Србија, Покрет за демократску Србију, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Реформска демократска странка Војводине, Коалиција Војводина, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Демократска алтернатива, Демократски центар, Нова демократија, Социјалдемократска унија, Санxачка демократска партија, Лига за Шумадију, Српски покрет отпора – Демократски покрет), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 26 January 2021. The list won a majority victory with 176 out of 250 seats. From 2000 to 2011, parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than to individual candidates, and it was common practice for the mandates to be awarded out of numerical order; Petrović could have been given a mandate when the assembly met in January 2001 despite his low position on the list, but he was not.Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017.
The Socialist Party was not able to oversee a stable government in Titel following the 2000 local elections, and a new election was held in the municipality in November 2001."Vanredni izbori u 18 opština", Glas javnosti, 29 October 2001, accessed 14 August 2001. The Democratic Opposition of Serbia won a majority of seats, and Petrović was selected as mayor."Beg iz zapećka", Glas javnosti, 20 July 2002, accessed 14 August 2021.
Several members of the national assembly voluntarily resigned or were deprived of their mandates on 12 June 2002, amid the backdrop of serious divisions between the DOS and the Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Sribje, DSS). Petrović was awarded a mandate as the replacement for another member and served, in this capacity, as part of the administration's parliamentary majority.DRUGO VANREDNO ZASEDANJE, 12.06.2002., Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 17 July 2021. The resignations and expulsions of 12 June 2002 were later overturned on a technicality; the delegates who left the assembly on that day had their mandates restored, and the mandates of the replacements were revoked.Milan Milošević, "Mrtve duše živih poslanika", Vreme, 8 August 2002, accessed 18 July 2021.
The DS fielded its own electoral list in the 2003 parliamentary election.Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 28. децембра 2003. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА – БОРИС ТАДИЋ), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 July 2021. Petrović appeared in the 161st position. The list won thirty-seven seats, and he was not included in his party's assembly delegation.27 January 2004 legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 17 July 2021.
Second term as mayor (2004–08) Serbia introduced direct elections for mayor and separated the positions of mayor and assembly president in the 2004 local elections. Petrović was re-elected as mayor of Titel, defeating a candidate of the far-right Serbian Radical Party in the second round. He also appeared on the DS's list for the Assembly of Vojvodina in 2004 Vojvodina provincial election, in which half the seats were determined by proportional representation.РЕШЕЊЕ О УТВРЂИВАЊУ ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ ЗА ИЗБОРЕ ЗА ПОСЛАНИКЕ У СКУПШТИНУ АУТОНОМНЕ ПОКРАЈИНЕ ВОЈВОДИНЕ, 19. СЕПТЕМБРА 2004. ГОДИНЕ, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. He received the seventeenth position on the list. He was not selected for a mandate on this occasion.Convocation 2004 - 2008, Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 17 July 2021. He appeared on the DS's list in the 2007 Serbian parliamentary election and was again not included in his party's delegation.He received the 189th position. The list, which was mostly alphabetical, won sixty-four seats. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска странка – Борис Тадић), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021.14 February 2007 legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 17 July 2021.
Titel was one of the least affluent municipalities in Vojvodina during the 2000s. In a 2007 interview, Petrović spoke about the need to increase the area's tourist potential and expressed surprise and disappointment that the municipality did not qualify for poverty relief funding."Od bogatstvasamo sećanje", Novosti, 21 January 2007, accessed 17 July 2021.
Provincial representative and third term as mayor (2008–12) The direct election of mayors was abandoned after 2004, and in all subsequent electoral cycles mayors have been chosen by the elected members of city and municipal assemblies. Petrović was selected for a third term as mayor after the 2008 local elections. The Radical Party actually won the election in Titel but, with eleven seats out of twenty-five, fell short of a majority; the DS, which finished second with nine seats, was able to form a new coalition government with the Socialist Party of Serbia and two independent delegates.Službeni List (Opštine Titel), Volume 43 Number 11 (18 May 2008), pp. 1-2.Službeni List (Opštine Titel), Volume 43 Number 16 (8 August 2008), p. 243."Zdenko Babić predsednik Skupštine", Danas, 21 July 2008, accessed 16 July 2021. Petrović was also elected to the provincial assembly for the Titel constituency seat in the 2008 provincial election as a candidate of the For a European Vojvodina alliance led by the DS.Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска странка – Борис Тадић), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021. For a European Vojvodina won an outright majority, and Petrović supported the administration in the assembly over the next four years.
Serbia's electoral laws were reformed in 2011 such that mandates were awarded to candidates on successful lists in numerical order. Petrović led the DS list for Titel in the 2012 Serbian local elections.Službeni List (Opštine Titel), Volume 47 Number 8 (2 May 2012), p. 1. The list won six seats; the Serbian Progressive Party won the election and was able to form a new administration, with the DS serving in opposition.Službeni List (Opštine Titel), Volume 47 Number 9 (8 May 2012), p. 2.Službeni List (Opštine Titel), Volume 47 Number 13 (27 June 2012), p. 1. Petrović was also defeated in his bid for re-election to the Vojvodina assembly in the 2012 provincial election, finishing third against Vladimir Soro, a Movement of Socialists candidate endorsed by the Progressive Party.
The Democratic Party and its allies were the overall winners of the 2012 provincial election, and Petrović was subsequently appointed as assistant provincial secretary for agriculture, water management, and forestry in the government of Vojvodina."Fond za kapitalna ulaganja ulaže u Titel", Danas, 15 December 2013, accessed 17 January 2021. He has not sought a return to elected office since 2012.
Electoral record Provincial (Vojvodina) + 2012 Vojvodina assembly electionTitel (constituency seat) – First and second roundsSource: Резултати избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине по већинском изборном систему (2012) (58 Тител), Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 8 August 2017. Candidate Party or Coalition Votes % Votes % Vladimir Soro Let's Get Vojvodina Moving–Tomislav Nikolić (Serbian Progressive Party, New Serbia, Movement of Socialists, Strength of Serbia Movement) (Affiliation: Movement of Socialists) 2,731 30.44 4,340 54.50 Dejan Kulja United Regions of Serbia–Dejan Kulja 1,758 19.59 3,623 45.50 Milivoj Petrović Pele (incumbent) Choice for a Better Vojvodina–Bojan Pajtić (Affiliation: Democratic Party) 1,658 18.48 Milorad Jovančević Rajko Serbian Radical Party 844 9.41 Duško Kajtez Democratic Party of Serbia 559 6.23 Marko Simić League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina–Nenad Čanak 533 5.94 Dušan Tubić Citizens' Group: Dveri: For the Life of Titel 466 5.19 Stevan Curčić Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS), United Serbia (JS), Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDPS) 423 4.71 Total valid votes 8,972 100 7,963 100
+ 2008 Vojvodina assembly electionTitel (constituency seat) – First and second roundsSource: Избори мај 2008. године - резултати по већинском изборном систему (58 Тител), Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 18 March 2017. Candidate Party or Coalition Votes % Votes % Milivoj Petrović "For a European Vojvodina: Democratic Party–G17 Plus, Boris Tadić" (Affiliation: Democratic Party) 2,420 29.49 3,230 50.84 Ivana Zečević Serbian Radical Party 3,165 38.56 3,123 49.16 Duško Kajtez Democratic Party of Serbia 1,064 12.96 Vladimir Soro Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)–Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) (Affiliation: Socialist Party of Serbia) 1,041 12.68 Aleksandar Milinkov Together for Vojvodina–Nenad Čanak 517 6.30 Total valid votes 8,207 100 6,353 100 Invalid ballots 448 149 Total votes casts 8,655 68.44 6,502 51.42
Municipal (Titel)