{{Short description|Political party in Serbia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox political party | name = Better Serbia | native_name = Боља Србија<br />Bolja Srbija | native_name_lang = sr | abbreviation = BS | logo = Bolja Srbija logo.png | colorcode = {{party color|Better Serbia}} | president = [[Dragan Jovanović (Serbian politician, born 1972)|Dragan Jovanović]] | foundation = {{Start date|2017|7|24|df=y}} | dissolution = {{End date|2023|4|12|df=y}} | split = [[New Serbia (political party)|New Serbia]] | merged = [[Serbian Progressive Party]] | secretary = Milovan Cvetković | ideology = {{ubl|[[National conservatism]]|[[Agrarianism]]|[[Regionalism (politics)|Regionalism]]}} | slogan = Mi znamo bolje<br />("We know better") | colours = {{ubl|{{colorbox|{{party color|Better Serbia}}|border=silver}} Red|{{colorbox|#004487|border=silver}} Blue}} | position = [[Right-wing]] | national = [[Together We Can Do Everything]] | website = {{URL|http://boljasrbija.org.rs/}} | country = Serbia }}

'''Better Serbia''' ({{lang-sr-cyr|Боља Србија|Bolja Srbija}}, '''BS''') was a [[National conservatism|national-conservative]] [[List of political parties in Serbia|political party]] in [[Serbia]]. Its leader was [[Dragan Jovanović (Serbian politician, born 1972)|Dragan Jovanović]], a former member of [[New Serbia (political party)|New Serbia]]. It was the main governing party in the municipality of [[Topola]].

== Origins and current status == Jovanović was a longtime member of New Serbia (NS) before his expulsion from the party in January 2017, which occurred against the backdrop of a quarrel with party leader [[Velimir Ilić]]. Jovanović was elected on [[For Our Children (Serbia)|Serbian Progressive Party]]'s (SNS) list in 2016, and after serving as an independent member of the assembly for six months, Jovanović launched Better Serbia in July 2017.<ref>[http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view.aspx?izb=346593 "Bolja Srbija - nova stranka, predsednik Dragan Jovanović"], ''Tanjug'', 24 July 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.</ref> A month before the formation, Jovanović presented a political program with [[Vladan Glišić]] and [[Miroslav Parović]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-06-15|title=Serbian Right-Wingers Unveil Populist Platform|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2017/06/15/serbian-rightists-call-for-unification-around-populist-platform-06-15-2017/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=Balkan Insight|language=en-US}}</ref> He outlined the party's positions in an interview with ''[[Politika]]'' shortly thereafter, noting the party's focus on agrarian issues.<ref>[http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/386287/Uvek-sam-za-narodne-koalicije Мирјана Чекеревац, "Увек сам за народне коалиције"], ''Politika'', 4 August 2017, accessed 27 September 2017.</ref> Jovanović was a supporter of [[President of Serbia|Serbian president]] [[Aleksandar Vučić]] at the time of Better Serbia's establishment, although by 2020 he had become an opponent of the administration.<ref>[https://www.danas.rs/politika/izbori-2020/jovanovic-mislio-sam-da-su-zuti-najgori-ali-naprednjaci-su-gori/ Mirjana R. Milenković, "Jovanović: Mislio sam da su žuti najgori, ali naprednjaci su gori"], ''Danas'', 6 March 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.</ref>

Better Serbia contested the [[2020 Serbian parliamentary election]] in an alliance with [[Healthy Serbia]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Novinska agencija Beta|url=https://beta.rs/politika/127692-rik-proglasio-izbornu-listu-koalicije-zdrava-srbija--bolja-srbija|website=Novinska agencija Beta|language=sr-yu|access-date=2020-05-28}}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> Their list did not cross the [[electoral threshold]] to win representation in the assembly. Better Serbia won a narrow victory in Jovanović's home community of Topola in the concurrent [[2020 Serbian local elections]], defeating the [[Serbian Progressive Party]] by sixteen seats to fifteen. After the election, the Progressives formed a new governing alliance with smaller parties in the local assembly, and Better Serbia served in [[Opposition (politics)|opposition]].<ref>[https://www.danas.rs/politika/sns-na-celu-vlasti-u-topoli-dragan-jovanovic-posle-16-godina-ide-u-opoziciju/ "SNS na čelu vlasti u Topoli, Dragan Jovanović posle 16 godina ide u opoziciju"], ''Danas'', 19 August 2020, accessed 4 February 2021.</ref> In April 2021, however, two defectors from the Progressives allowed Better Serbia to form a new municipal administration with the support from the [[Movement for the Restoration of the Kingdom of Serbia]]. Topola's incumbent mayor, Ivan Petrović, also chose to join the new administration.<ref>[https://www.danas.rs/politika/u-topoli-prekomponovana-vlast-bolja-srbija-dobila-podrsku-troje-naprednjaka/ "U Topoli prekomponovana vlast, Bolja Srbija dobila podršku troje naprednjaka"], ''Danas'', 27 April 2021, accessed 27 April 2021.</ref>

On 14 February 2022, Dragan Jovanović announced that BS will participate in the [[2022 Serbian general election|2022 Serbian parliamentary elections]] as part of the [[SNS-led coalition]] and their "Together We Can Do Everything" ballot list.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-02-15|title=Topola: Dragan Jovanović i "Bolja Srbija" ipak na listi SNS|url=https://www.danas.rs/vesti/politika/izbori22/topola-dragan-jovanovic-i-bolja-srbija-ipak-na-listi-sns/|access-date=2022-02-15|website=Dnevni list Danas|language=sr-RS}}</ref> On 12 April 2023, BS merged into SNS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TANJUG |date=2023-04-12 |title=Glišić: Stranka Bolja Srbija danas kolektivno pristupila SNS-u |url=https://www.tanjug.rs/srbija/politika/24588/glisic-stranka-bolja-srbija-danas-kolektivno-pristupila-sns-u/vest |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=tanjug.rs |language=sr-RS}}</ref>

== Presidents of ''Better Serbia'' == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !# ! colspan="2" |President !Born-Died !Term start !Term end |- ! style="background:red; color:white;" |1 |[[Dragan Jovanović (Serbian politician, born 1972)|Dragan Jovanović]] |[[ File:Dragan jovanovic (cropped).jpg|frameless|100px]] |1976– |24 July 2017 |12 April 2023 |- |}

== Electoral performance == === Parliamentary elections === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ [[National Assembly of Serbia]] ! Year ! Leader ! Popular vote ! % of popular vote ! {{No.}} ! # of seats ! Seat change ! Coalition ! Status ! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! [[2020 Serbian parliamentary election|2020]] | rowspan="2"| [[Dragan Jovanović (Serbian politician, born 1972)|Dragan Jovanović]] | 33,435 | 1.08% | {{increase}} 11th | {{Composition bar|0|250|{{party color|Better Serbia}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | BS–[[Healthy Serbia|ZS]] | {{no|Extra-parliamentary}} |<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kovačević |first1=Miladin |url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2020/Pdf/G20206003.pdf |title=Izbori za narodne poslanike Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije |date=2020 |publisher=Republički zavod za statistiku |isbn=978-86-6161-193-3 |location=Belgrade |page=9 |language=sr |trans-title=Elections for Deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia |access-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214192106/https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2020/Pdf/G20206003.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- ! [[2022 Serbian parliamentary election|2022]] | 1,635,101 | 44.27% | {{increase}} 1st | {{Composition bar|1|250|{{party color|Better Serbia}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | [[Together We Can Do Everything|ZMS]] | {{partial|Support}} |<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kovačević |first1=Miladin |url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2022/Pdf/G20226010.pdf |title=Izbori za narodne poslanike Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije |date=2022 |publisher=Republički zavod za statistiku |isbn=978-86-6161-221-3 |location=Belgrade |page=7 |language=sr |trans-title=Elections for Deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia |access-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214192056/https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2022/Pdf/G20226010.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> |}

{{Graph:Chart | width = 120 | type = rect | colors = #D41414 | xAxisTitle = Elections | xAxisAngle = -40 | x = 2020, 2022 | yAxisTitle = % of popular vote | y = 1.08, 44.27 }}

<timeline> ImageSize = width:600 height:70 PlotArea = width:500 height:50 left:20 bottom:20

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2017 till:31/12/2023 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2017 Legend = columns:3 left:40 top:75 columnwidth:90

Colors = id:Opposition value:red legend:Opposition id:Support value:yellow legend:Support

Define $dx = 25 Define $dy = -1

PlotData=

bar:Govern. color:blue width:25 mark:(line,black) align:center

from:24/07/2017 till:06/03/2020 shift:($dx,$dy) color:Support from:06/03/2020 till:14/02/2022 shift:($dx,$dy) color:Opposition from:14/02/2022 till:12/04/2023 shift:($dx,$dy) color:Support </timeline>

===Presidential elections=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ [[President of Serbia]] ! Year ! Candidate ! colspan="2" | 1st round popular vote ! % of popular vote ! colspan="2" | 2nd round popular vote ! % of popular vote ! Notes ! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! [[2022 Serbian general election|2022]] | [[Aleksandar Vučić]] | {{yes2|1st}} | 2,224,914 | 60.01% | {{n/a}} | ''—'' | ''—'' | style="text-align: left"| Supported Vučić |<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kovačević |first1=Miladin |url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2022/Pdf/G20226009.pdf |title=Izbori za predsednika Republike Srbije |date=2022 |publisher=Republički zavod za statistiku |isbn=978-86-6161-220-6 |location=Belgrade |page=7 |language=sr |trans-title=Elections for the President of the Republic of Serbia |access-date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214192338/https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2022/Pdf/G20226009.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> |}

== See also == {{portal|Serbia|Conservatism}} * [[List of political parties in Serbia]]

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Serbian political parties}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Better Serbia}} [[Category:Political parties established in 2017]] [[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2023]] [[Category:National conservative parties]] [[Category:Agrarian parties in Serbia]] [[Category:Conservative parties in Serbia]] [[Category:Right-wing parties in Europe]] [[Category:Nationalist parties in Serbia]] [[Category:Serb nationalist parties]] [[Category:Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights in Serbia]] [[Category:Christian fundamentalist organizations based in Europe]] [[Category:Christian nationalism in Europe]] [[Category:Anti-abortion organizations]]