Danica Drašković

Danica Drašković (Serbian Cyrillic: Даница Драшковић, née Bošković; born 14 November 1945) is a Serbian lawyer, writer, and politician. She is the wife of Vuk Drašković, the president of the Serbian Renewal Movement and former minister of foreign affairs of Serbia.

Danica Drašković
Даница Драшковић
A photograph of Danica Drašković
Drašković in 2010
Born
Danica Bošković

(1945-11-14) 14 November 1945
Kolašin, FS Montenegro, DF Yugoslavia
Other namesDana
Alma materUniversity of Belgrade
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • politician
  • journalist
Political partySerbian Renewal Movement
Spouse
​
(m. 1973)​

Born in Kolašin, Montenegro, Drašković was educated at the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade. She became prominent in Serbian politics in the 1990s as the wife of Vuk Drašković and because of her newspaper columns. Drašković served as a member of the management board of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) from 2009 to 2013, and since 2014 she has served as a member of the Board of Directors of NIS.

Early life and education

Danica Bošković was born on 14 November 1945 in Kolašin, Federated State of Montenegro, Democratic Federal Yugoslavia as the third child in a wealthy family.[1][2] Her father was a Chetnik.[2] After finishing her education in a gymnasium in Bijelo Polje, she rolled into the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade.[1] She graduated from the University of Belgrade in 1968.[1]

Career

Post-graduation

After graduating from the University of Belgrade, Drašković worked as a financial inspector in the Social Accounting Service and as a city judge for misdemeanors in the City Assembly of Belgrade until 1974.[1][2] With her now-husband Vuk Drašković, she lived in Zambia until 1977, due to Drašković being a correspondent for news agency Tanjug.[1] She worked as a lawyer after returning to Belgrade.[1]

1990s
Drašković and her husband in 1984

Drašković officially entered politics once the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) was founded in March 1990.[2][3]: 54  Her husband has been the president of SPO since its establishment.[4][5] Despite being most known for being Drašković's wife, she has made a political profile for herself in the early 1990s.[2] She participated with musician Olivera Katarina at a women's rights rally, has taken part in a Novi Sad rally against Vojvodina autonomists, and has protested in front of the embassies of Albania and Romania.[2] She was also involved in attacking special forces and policemen at Ravna Gora.[2] Throughout the rest of the 1990s, Drašković has taken part in various anti-government protests.[2]

Despite not holding any important positions inside SPO, Drašković has influenced the ideology and actions of the party.[2] She has been cited as the main reason behind the dissolution of the Together coalition in 1997, the successful motion of no confidence of mayor of Belgrade Zoran Đinđić, and the decision for SPO to join the federal government led by Slobodan Milošević's Socialist Party of Serbia.[2] In October 1999, her husband was the target in the Ibar Highway assassination attempt; the assassination was made on the orders of Milošević.[2][6]

2000s

SPO submitted a request to appoint Drašković as the director of the Institute of Security in 2004.[2] Drašković has described herself as an "expert in that place" due to her previous work as a lawyer and a judge.[2] This request became a subject of ridicule in Serbian politics.[2] Once SPO joined Vojislav Koštunica's government in 2004, it was alleged that Drašković was the one who chose her husband's diplomatic team.[2] Media speculated that Drašković would be appointed director of Telekom Srbija in 2008.[2] In response to the speculations, Drašković has said that she is "competent enough to perform the function of the director"; she was never appointed director of Telekom Srbija.[2]

Since 2009

Drašković was appointed member of the management board of Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) on 1 April 2009.[2][7] Journalist Tamara Skrozza has said that the general public made speculations and theories about the reason of her appointment.[2] She served in the management board until 2013 and in 2014 she became a member of the board of directors of NIS.[8] As the member of the Board of Directors of NIS, she earns RSD 771,000 a month.[9][10] She has been re-appointed several times since then, most recently being in 2023.[8][10] Due to her earning of RSD 771,000 a month, she is a millionaire, having earned more than a million euros since her initial appointment in 2009.[11][12] Zorana Mihajlović, a government minister, unsuccessfully tried to dismiss Drašković and two other members from their positions in late 2020.[8] The assembly of NIS later re-selected Drašković and the two members to continue serving their positions.[8]

She has wrote opinion articles for newspaper Danas.[13][14]

Political positions

Drašković is an anti-communist.[15] Skrozza has written that Drašković received controversy due to "not caring about the consequences for her or her husband" about the hardline views she expressed in her columns.[2] "I do not change my views and opinions even under coercion", Drašković has said.[2] When her husband called for nonviolent resistance against Milošević, Drašković has said that "Miloševićs deserved nothing more than to be crucified by the people on their horses' tails".[2] She has also criticised the nationalism of Milošević and Dobrica Ćosić.[2] Sociologist Ana Vuković has claimed that Drašković had left a rather negative image of female politicians in Serbia.[16]

Drašković has criticised Aleksandar Vulin, a government minister and president of the Movement of Socialists; she has described him as a fascist and as "Mirjana Marković's commissioner".[17][18]

Personal life

Her nickname is Dana.[6][17] By occupation, Drašković is also a journalist and a writer.[1] She is the owner of Srpska reč (lit. 'Serbian Word') publishing house, through which she wrote columns and published her three books.[2] She received an invalidity pension from 1990 to 2014.[1][8]

Family

During her studies at the University of Belgrade, she met Drašković, whom she dated until the student demonstrations in 1968.[1] The separation between the two occurred due to Drašković's support for Josip Broz Tito.[1][2] Their relationship was renewed in 1973; they married on 10 June 1973 and Bošković adopted Drašković's surname.[1][19]

Drašković's brother, Veselin Bošković, was killed during the Ibar Highway assassination attempt.[1][6]

Incidents

During the transfer of relics of Nikolaj Velimirović in 1991, she broke a bottle on the head of her interlocutor after a heated discussion.[2] After a SPO gathering in the summer of 1993, Drašković and her husband were beaten and arrested; they were in jail for 38 days.[2] The Chamber of the District Court concluded in 2002 that the government of Serbia had to pay Drašković RSD 1,250,000 due to injuries that she sustained.[2] In 2013, 2019, and 2021, Drašković was involved in traffic accidents.[20][21][22]

Bibliography
  • Neću da ćutim [I Will Not Be Silent] (in Serbian) (1 ed.). Belgrade: Srpska reč. 2002. ISBN 9788649100466. OCLC 53894554.
  • Pisanje u vetar [Writing In the Wind] (in Serbian) (1 ed.). Belgrade: Srpska reč. 2009. ISBN 9788649100619. OCLC 705718676.
  • Obešena žena [The Hanged Woman] (in Serbian) (1 ed.). Belgrade: Srpska reč. 2018. ISBN 9788649100879. OCLC 1138948789.

References
  1. Dimitrijević, Nevena (13 January 2023). "Ko su najuticajnije Crnogorke u Srbiji" [Who are the most influential Montenegrin women in Serbia?]. Zadovoljna (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. Skrozza, Tamara (15 April 2009). "Visoke štikle i kratak fitilj" [High heels and a short wick]. Vreme (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  3. Thomas, Robert (1998). Serbia under Milošević: Politics in the 1990s (1 ed.). London: C. Hurst & Co. ISBN 9781850653677. OCLC 1280730017.
  4. Kojić, Nikola (14 March 2023). "Najdugovečniji partijski lider u ex-Yu živi u Beogradu i vodi stranku 33 godine" [The longest-serving party leader in ex-Yu lives in Belgrade and has led the party for 33 years]. N1 (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  5. Trivić, Branka (26 September 2012). "Autoritarni lideri uništili partije u Srbiji" [Authoritarian leaders that destroyed parties in Serbia]. Radio Free Europe (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  6. "Bol za mrtvim mlađim bratom nikad ne prestaje: Dana Drašković sa šest sestara i danas oplakuje svog voljenog Veska" [The pain for her dead younger brother never ends: Dana Drašković with her six sisters still mourns her beloved Vesko today]. Telegraf (in Serbian). 3 October 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  7. "Danica Drašković u UO NIS". Politika (in Serbian). 21 April 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  8. "Danica Drašković i desetu godinu zaredom u Odboru direktora NIS" [Danica Drašković for the tenth year in a row in the Board of Directors of NIS]. N1 (in Serbian). 3 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. Luković, D. (7 December 2017). "Spisak Želja Danice Drašković Mesečno prima 771.000 dinara, a dobre poslove nalazi i za drugarice, rođake, saradnike..." [Danica Drašković's wishlist, she earns 771,000 dinars a month, and she also finds good jobs for friends, relatives, associates...]. Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  10. Popović, Aleksandra (2 July 2021). "Sagovornici Danasa: Draškovići se odavno "prodali" režim" [Danas interlocutors: The Draškovićs "sold out" to the regime a long time ago]. Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  11. "Neuništiva: Danica Drašković ponovo u odboru direktora NIS! Za 14 godina inkasirala više od milion evra!" [Indestructible: Danica Drašković is again on the board of directors of NIS! In 14 years, she collected more than one million euros!]. Kurir (in Serbian). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  12. Latković, Nataša (30 July 2022). "Upoznajte milionere iz vlasti, najveći nije iz SNS" [Meet the millionaires from the government, the biggest one is not from SNS]. NOVA portal (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  13. Drašković, Danica (20 July 2023). "Legija je srce Srbije: Lični stav Danice Drašković" [Legija is the heart of Serbia]. Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  14. Drašković, Danica (15 September 2020). "Veličanje državnog terorizma Udbe" [The glorification of the UDBA's state terrorism]. Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  15. Panović, Zoran (2 April 2009). "Ličnost Danas: Danica Drašković" [Danas personality: Danica Drašković]. Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  16. Vuković, Ana (9 October 2009). "Mira Marković i Danica Drašković kompromitovale žensko liderstvo" [Mira Marković and Danica Drašković compromised female leadership]. Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  17. "Dana Drašković: Mirin komesar Vulin" [Dana Drašković: Mira's commissioner Vulin]. 021.rs (in Serbian). 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  18. "Pljušte uvrede, Dana: Vulin je fašista Vulin: Uništila si Vuka i SPO!" [Insults rain down, Dana: Vulin is a fascist Vulin: You destroyed Vuk and SPO!]. Kurir (in Serbian). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  19. "Svadba bez gostiju, mladenci u farmerkama: Kako je izgledalo venčanje Vuka i Danice Drašković" [A wedding without guests, newlyweds in jeans: What was the wedding of Vuk and Danica Drašković like]. B92 (in Serbian). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  20. "Danica Drašković imala saobraćajku!" [Danica Drašković had a traffic accident!]. Kurir (in Serbian). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  21. "Danica Drašković imala udes u centru Beograda: Slupala novu "mečku"!" [Danica Drašković had an accident in the centre of Belgrade: She wrecked her new car!]. Kurir (in Serbian). 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  22. Radonjić, Marko (24 September 2021). "Danica Drašković izazvala saobraćajku na Banovom brdu, udarila četiri vozila" [Danica Drašković caused a traffic accident on Banovo brdo, hitting four vehicles]. NOVA portal (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 September 2023.
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