The Independent Democratic Serbian Party (Samostalna demokratska srpska stranka, SDSS – Cyrillic: Самостална демократска српска странка) is a political party of Serbs living in Croatia.
History
It was formed in 1997 as a liberal/social-democrat party said to be based on the doctrine of Svetozar Pribičević's Independent Democratic Party from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
The party is led by Vojislav Stanimirović and aims to facilitate the return of the Serbs who left Croatia in 1995 when the Croatian military and police conquered the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina and put that territory back under Croatian control.
In the elections of November 2003, it beat its main rival, the Serb Popular Party (SNS), taking all three seats reserved for Serb representatives in the Croatian parliament.
After the elections, the Independent Democratic Serbian Party made an agreement with the winning HDZ party (Croatian Democratic Union) led by Ivo Sanader in which they agree on fulfilling several SDSS demands such as refugee return, strengthening of national equality, judicial reform and cooperation with neighbouring countries.
Self-definition
SDSS is a democratic party of liberal and socialdemocratic orientation, but under present circumstances, also a Serbian national party.
Political goals:
- refugee return, especially Serbs with finishing renewal of war damaged areas
- right to buy earlier state-owned flats, under earlier legislation (before peaceful reintegration of Croatian Podunavlje, when deadline for buying state-owned flats ended)
- state protection and securing of existing rights of national minorites, especially Serbs
- cultural and political autonomy of Serbs in Croatia, through use of Serbian language and writings, use of serbian national symbols, education in Serbian, foundation of Serbian organization in education and culture, foundation of Serbian information media and the maintaining of Serbian traditions and customs
- professionalization of the armed forces
- regionalism and decentralization
- Croatian integration into EU and developing economic relations with Serbia and Montenegro
See also
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