Ecological Uprising Еколошки устанак | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | EU |
| Leader | Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta |
| Parliamentary leader | Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta |
| Founded | 2021 (first) 2023 (second) |
| Dissolved | 11 June 2022 |
| Split from | Together (second) |
| Succeeded by | Together (first) |
| Ideology | Green politics Pro-Europeanism |
| Parliamentary group | Ecological Uprising |
| Colours | Green |
| National Assembly | 5 / 250 |
| Assembly of Vojvodina | 2 / 120 |
| City Assembly of Belgrade | 1 / 110 |
| Website | |
| ekoloskiustanak | |
Ecological Uprising (Serbian:Еколошки устанак,romanized: Ekološki ustanak, abbr.EU) is agreen[1][2]political organisation inSerbia. It is led byAleksandar Jovanović Ćuta.
Formed as apolitical andprotest movement in 2021, EU gained presence during the2021–2022 Serbian environmental protests. Ćuta was elected to theNational Assembly of Serbia at the head ofWe Must (Moramo) coalition in the2022 Serbian parliamentary election. On 11 June 2022, the movement was merged into a new political party calledTogether (Zajedno!). Ćuta left Together in September 2023 due to internal disagreements inside the party.
The Ecological Uprising movement grew out of a series of environmental actions in Serbia in 2021. Jovanović, working with a movement called "Defend the Rivers ofStara Planina," used the phrase "ecological uprising" in his call for a citizens' protest at the national assembly on 10 April 2021.[3] The protest, which drew thousands of people, called for a moratorium on the construction of small hydroelectric plants and for more intensive reforestation across Serbia. Another protest was held in September of the same year, with more than thirty environmental organisations rallied around the "Ecological Uprising" banner.[4] The latter event was the catalyst for an ongoing series of protests ofenvironmental protests over the following months, with Jovanović and Ecological Uprising playing a leading role. The protests came to focus in particular on opposition toRio Tinto's proposedjadarite mining near theJadar River.[citation needed]
Jovanović indicated in mid-2021 that he wanted the Ecological Uprising movement to participate in the2022 Belgrade City Assembly election. Speculation grew as to his possible coalition partners, with both theDo not let Belgrade drown (NDB) group andNebojša Zelenović's Action movement mentioned as possibilities.[5] In November 2021, Jovanović said that Ecological Uprising would participate in both the Belgrade election and the2022 Serbian parliamentary election; in so doing, he said that the movement's ultimate goal was to "remove the cause of the biggest pollution in Serbia, which is the regime ofAleksandar Vučić."[6]
Jovanović and Zelenović signed an electional agreement to create a green-left political bloc in November 2021.[7] The We Must coalition was formally launched in January 2022, with NDB and other parties also participating.[8] The We Must coalition ultimately won representation in both the republican and Belgrade assemblies, taking thirteen seats in each body. Jovanović, who led the coalition'selectoral list at the republic level, was elected as a parliamentarian.[citation needed]
On 1 June 2022, representatives of Ecological Uprising, the Action movement, and the Assembly of Free Serbia announced that they would henceforth act as one party.[9] The new party, known asTogether (Zajedno!), was formally introduced on 11 June, with Jovanović, Zelenović, and Assembly of Free Serbia leaderBiljana Stojković as its co-presidents.[10]
After the beginning of theSerbia Against Violence protests in May 2023, EU has acted autonomously inside Together.[11] On 6 September 2023, Ćuta announced that he and other EU members left Together due to internal disagreements.[12] EU became part of theSerbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition in October 2023, a coalition of political parties organising the 2023 protests.[13] SPN announced that it would contest theparliamentary,Vojvodina provincial, andBelgrade City Assembly elections, all scheduled for 17 December 2023.[14][15] In the parliamentary election, SPN won 65 seats, 4 of which went to EU.[16]
| Year | Leader | Popular vote | % of popular vote | # | # of seats | Seat change | Coalition | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta | 178,733 | 4.84% |  5th | 4 / 250 | 4 | We Must | Opposition | [17] |
| 2023 | 902,450 | 24.32% | 2nd | 5 / 250 | 1 | SPN | Opposition | [18] |
| Year | Candidate | 1st round popular vote | % of popular vote | 2nd round popular vote | % of popular vote | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Biljana Stojković | 6th | 122,378 | 3.30% | — | — | — | Supported Stojković |
| Year | Leader | Popular vote | % of popular vote | # | # of seats | Seat change | Coalition | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta | 215,197 | 22.55% | 2nd | 2 / 250 | 2 | SPN | Opposition | [19] |
| Year | Leader | Popular vote | % of popular vote | # | # of seats | Seat change | Coalition | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta | 99,078 | 11.04% | 3rd | 3 / 110 | 3 | We Must | Opposition | [20] |
| 2023 | 325,429 | 35.39% | 2nd | 2 / 110 |  1 | SPN | Snap election | [21] | |
| 2024 | 89,430 | 12.42% | 3rd | 1 / 110 | 1 | BB | Opposition | [22] |
