Ivica Dačić

Ivica Dačić (born 1 January 1966) is a Serbian politician serving as deputy prime minister of Serbia since 2022 and minister of internal affairs since 2024. He has been the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) since 2006. He has also served as prime minister of Serbia from 2012 to 2014.

Dačić graduated from the University of Belgrade in 1989 and joined SPS in 1991. He quickly rose up the ranks of the party, becoming its spokesman in 1992, under his mentor, Slobodan Milosević, President of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia. After the fall of Milošević, he served as the minister of information in a transitional government from 2000 to 2001. Dačić became SPS party leader in 2006. Like his predecessor Milošević, he is regarded as a pragmatic leader willing to change views based on circumstance and has worked to reform the party. Dačić led SPS into a government with the Democratic Party (DS) in 2008, after which he became the first deputy prime minister and minister of internal affairs, roles which he served until 2012. The DS–SPS government reached an EU candidate status. After the 2012 parliamentary election, SPS formed a coalition government with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS); Dačić was elected prime minister. The SNS–SPS government pursued the European Union to start formal negotiations for the accession of Serbia and he signed the Brussels Agreement on the normalisation of relations of governments of Serbia and Kosovo.

In 2014, he returned to being the first deputy prime minister and also became the minister of foreign affairs, roles which he served until 2020. Dačić was elected president of the National Assembly after the 2020 parliamentary election and was succeeded by Vladimir Orlić in 2022. Commentators described his political positions as populist and nationalist.

Early life

Dačić was born on 1 January 1966 in Prizren, which at the time was part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia within Yugoslavia. Dačić was born to a Serbian family and was brought up in Žitorađa. His father, Desimir, was a police officer, and his mother, Jelisaveta ("Jela"), was a housewife. His parents were both born in villages under the Jastrebac. His sister Emica has degrees in pedagogy and drama. In 1996, Dačić was a minister in the Citizens' Council of the Assembly of Yugoslavia and President of the Committee on Public Information, and in 1997 he was member of the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Party leadership

He was elected President of the Socialist Party on the seventh congress on 4 December 2006, winning over candidate Milorad Vučelić in the second round with 1,287 points, versus 792 points, of the delegates votes. In 2012, the Security Intelligence Agency (Serbia's intelligence agency) received information that drug boss Darko Šarić had offered 10 million € to assassinate Tadić and Dačić.

2012 elections, Prime Minister

thumb|175px|Dačić in 2013

The Socialist Party entered a coalition with the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS), and United Serbia. In the 2012 parliamentary election the Socialist Party's coalition had come third with 556.013 votes, 14.53%, 44 seats; Nikolić offered the Prime Minister post to Dačić, Dačić assumed office on 27 July. He said at a reception: "In this chamber there are many who toppled us in 2000, and I thank them, for if they hadn't toppled us we wouldn't have changed, realised our mistakes and we wouldn't be standing here today.". and abandoning Milošević's nationalist policies. The Serbian parliament elected Jorgovanka Tabaković (SNS) as new central bank governor.

Policies

Upon becoming prime minister, he faced the challenges of a declining economy and Serbia's accession to the EU. He emphasised that harmonisation with European laws is an integral part of the government's plan for boosting investment and employment.

Status of Kosovo

thumb|left|Dačić alongside [[European Commission First Vice-president Catherine Ashton (left) and Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, 2 February 2014]]

On 17 February 2008, the Assembly of Kosovo declared independence. It was the second declaration of independence by Kosovo's Albanian-majority political institutions, the first having been proclaimed on 7 September 1990. The legality of the declaration, and indeed whether it was an act of the Assembly, was disputed by the government of Serbia. Serbia sought international validation and support for its stance, and in October 2008 Serbia requested an advisory opinion on the matter from the International Court of Justice. The Court determined that the declaration of independence was legal.

In 2006, upon being elected party leader, Dačić said that he had no problem fighting for Kosovo as he had done it before.

On 25 July 2011, the North Kosovo crisis began when the Kosovo Police crossed into the Serb-controlled municipalities of North Kosovo, in an attempt to control several border crossings without the consultation of either Serbia or KFOR/EULEX. Though tensions between the two sides eased somewhat after the intervention of NATO's KFOR forces, they continued to remain high amid concern from the EU, who also blamed Kosovo for the unilateral provocation.

On 24 November 2011, Dačić said that he saw the Republic of Kosovo's incident with Serbs in North Kosovo as an attack on Serbia. The BBC claimed the "nationalist" leanings of Kosovo-born Dačić raise speculation on the policy towards the Kosovo issue, which may implicate on Serbia's EU application. On 19 April 2013, Dačić and his government took another step towards normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia. In March 2013, Dačić said that while his government would never recognise Kosovo's independence, "lies were told that Kosovo is ours" and that Serbia needed to define its "real borders".

Economy

thumb|Dačić addressing the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Helsinki, 9 July 2015]]

The Socialist-controlled gas monopoly Srbijagas which entered into partnership with Russian oil giant Gazprom during the coalition government with the Democratic Party.

Protege of Slobodan Milošević

Because he was a high-profile spokesman for Milošević, he received the nickname "Little Sloba" after his mentor.

The Sports Association of Serbia recognised Dačić and Novak Djokovic in 2011 for their contributions to Sport in Serbia.
"Golden Sign of the Police of Republika Srpska", for cooperation between the Serbian Police and Republika Srpska Police, awarded on 28 April 2012 in Banja Luka.
Order of the Republika Srpska, 2022
Order of the Holy New Martyrs of Kragujevac, 2025