It was formed in August 2020 as the direct successor ofAlliance for Serbia (SzS). The coalition included 11 parties and movements, includingĐorđe Vukadinović as anindependent individual. UOPS operated as a "confederation of political parties" and was the subject of inter-coalition conflicts. It positioned itself as a coalition that opposedAleksandar Vučić and sought to form a "democratic society" and free and fair elections, while it also supported theaccession of Serbia to the European Union.
TheAlliance for Serbia (SzS) was formed shortly before the beginning ofthe 2018 protests, withDragan Đilas as its initiator.[1] It played a significant role in Serbian politics during its existence, since it consisted of major opposition political parties.[2][3] SzS boycotted the2020 parliamentary election.[4] Shortly after the election, speculations rose about its potential dissolution, which was confirmed to be true by its members in August 2020.[5][6][7] TheParty of Freedom and Justice (SSP),People's Party (Narodna), and theDemocratic Party (DS) stated that they would remain in the coalition, whileDveri opted to leave, but continue the cooperation on a "technical level".[7][8]
The United Opposition of Serbia (UOPS) was officially formed on 10 August 2020.[9] The agreement was signed by 11 political organisations in total, includingĐorđe Vukadinović, anindependent politician.[10] During the press conference,Janko Veselinović stated the coalition would not cooperate with parties that took part in the 2020 parliamentary election and that cooperated withAleksandar Vučić.[10] TheDo not let Belgrade drown (NDB) movement andSocial Democratic Party (SDS) declined to join the coalition.[11] The representatives also stated that they would nominate a joint presidential candidate for the2022 election.Deutsche Welle stated that the inter-coalition conflicts from the SzS continued to take place in UOPS.[12] The coalition was also described as a "confederation of political parties", rather than a "federation".[13] Narodna stated that political parties inside the coalition would be able to act "independently".[14]
As a reaction to the formation of UOPS, political parties that were excluded from participating in the coalition held a meeting in late September 2020.[15] UOPS later criticised the government's approach towards theCOVID-19 pandemic, and had stated that it would support the formation of a COVID-19 crisis team if it would include experts on the topic.[16][17]
The coalition remained unstable and was challenged with conflicts, mainly inside Narodna.[18] In December, SSP and DS had announced that they would form a joint platform for the upcominginter-party dialogues on electoral conditions with theMovement of Free Citizens (PSG).[19] Narodna had opposed this move since PSG had participated in the 2020 parliamentary election.[20] During an interview,Zdravko Ponoš, who at the time served as vice-president of Narodna, stated that the activities of the coalition are "blocked", although he had also stated that opposition forces must cooperate more.[21] During theUtisak nedelje talk show on 20 December, Ponoš stated that "the cooperation inside the coalition is far from good" and that the coalition had not been dissolved yet.Borko Stefanović, the deputy-president of SSP, had stated that the coalition should cooperate with parties that had been critical of Vučić.[22] On 21 January 2021, Narodna confirmed that the coalition was dissolved.[23] Shortly after its dissolution, parties around SSP and Narodna formed two separate blocs.[24][25]
Later during 2021, the parties that were once a part of UOPS began cooperating again, and in November 2021, they formed theUnited Serbia coalition.[26][27]Marinika Tepić was chosen as the representative of its ballot list for the parliamentary election, while in January 2022, Ponoš was chosen as the presidential candidate.[28][29] The coalition was later renamed to United for the Victory of Serbia.[30] In the presidential election, Ponoš placed second, winning 18% of the popular vote, while in the parliamentary elections, the coalition won 38 seats in total.[31] Following the election, the coalition was dissolved due to conflicts between parties that had emerged again.[32][33]
During a press conference on 10 August 2020, the coalition representatives stated support to "continue the fight for ademocratic society throughnon-violent means" and that it would also "fight for free and fair elections".[9]Zoran Lutovac, president of the Democratic Party, had stated that the coalition would include options from theleft to theright to "articulate the dissatisfaction that exists in Serbia".[34] Like its predecessor, the coalition had wanted to end the rule ofAleksandar Vučić and hisSerbian Progressive Party.[12] Following the2020 parliamentary election inMontenegro, the coalition had congratulated the opposition for its victory, and had hoped that they would form good relations with the newly-elected government.[35] The coalition had also stated its support for theSerbian accession into the European Union.[36][37]
^Orlović, Slaviša; Antonić, Slobodan; Vukomanović, Dijana; Stojiljković, Zoran; Vujačić, Ilija; Đurković, Miša; Mihailović, Srećko; Gligorov, Vladimir; Komšić, Jovan; Pajvančić, Marijana; Pantić, Dragomir (2007).Ideologija i političke stranke u Srbiji [Ideology and Political Parties in Serbia](PDF) (in Serbian). Belgrade: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Faculty of Political Sciences, Institute for Humanities.ISBN978-86-83767-23-6. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 27 November 2013. Retrieved17 July 2001.
