Leader Mirjana Marković Dissolved 2003 | Founded 1994 Political position Left-wing | |
Ideology Communism
Marxism–Leninism
Socialism
Serbian nationalism | ||
The Yugoslav Left (Serbo-Croatian: Југословенска Левица, ЈУЛ / Jugoslovenska Levica; JUL) was a left-wing political party in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1994 by merging 19 left-wing parties, led by the League of Communists – Movement for Yugoslavia (SK-PJ). It was led by Mirjana Marković, the wife of Slobodan Milošević. JUL declared itself to be a party of all "left-wing and progressive forces that believed that the general interest always comes above private interest", including communists, greens, social democrats and socialists. At its peak, the party had 20 seats in Republic of Serbia's National Assembly following the 1997 general election.
Unlike Slobodan Milošević's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and its ally the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) which were direct descendants of the League of Communists of Serbia and Montenegro respectively, the Yugoslav Left was an all-Yugoslavian party with members from both constituent bodies.
Despite these differences, the JUL and the SPS collaborated closely. The JUL generally didn't take part in elections separately. Several members of the SPS crossed the floor to JUL at some stage.
In 1996, the JUL ran in a coalition with the SPS and New Democracy. The party had some ten MPs and representatives in various local assemblies. It held ministerial posts during Milošević's regime. In the 2003 Serbian legislative elections, JUL received only a 0.1% of the votes.
As for international cooperation, the JUL has visited the gatherings of several left-wing political groups in Europe and worldwide, including ties with the Communist Party of China, the Communist Party of Cuba and the Workers' Party of Korea.
Its social base was mainly amongst peasants and pauperised workers, but it also had members from the so-called nouveau riche of Serbia during Milošević's terms in office, and many high-ranked civil servants and army staff. During the 1990s, opponents of Milošević's government sometimes referred to the JUL "a branch of Communist Party of China in Yugoslavia".