Gordana Čomić

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Gordana Čomić
Гордана Чомић
Gordana Čomić - May 2015 (cropped).jpg
Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue
Assumed office
28 October 2020
Prime MinisterAna Brnabić
Preceded byPosition established
Svetozar Čiplić (2011)
Vice President of the National Assembly of Serbia
In office
26 June 2008 – 3 August 2020
In office
22 January 2001 – 27 January 2004
Member of the National Assembly of Serbia
In office
22 January 2001 – 3 August 2020
Member of the Assembly of Vojvodina (Novi Sad Division 10)
In office
23 October 2000 – 30 October 2004
Preceded byLazar Slepčev
Succeeded byredistribution
Member of the Assembly of Vojvodina (Novi Sad Division 13)
In office
9 January 1997 – 23 October 2000
Preceded byStevan Vrbaški
Succeeded byAleksandar Jevtić
Personal details
Born (1958-06-16) 16 June 1958 (age 63)
Novi Sad, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Serbia)
NationalitySerbian
Political partyDemocratic Party
(1990–2020)
Independent
(2020–present)
Alma materUniversity of Novi Sad
OccupationPolitician

Gordana Čomić (Serbian Cyrillic: Гордана Чомић; born 16 June 1958) is a politician in Serbia. She served in the National Assembly of Serbia from 2001 to 2020 and is now the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the cabinet of Ana Brnabić. She was a member of the Democratic Party until May 2020, when she was excluded from the party from opposing its boycott of the 2020 Serbian parliamentary election.[1] Čomić is no longer a member of any party.

Early life and career[]

Čomić was born in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, in what was then the People's Republic of Serbia in the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. She trained as a physicist and was an worked at the University of Novi Sad's Faculty of Technical Sciences from 1984 to 1999. From 1999 to 2004, she worked in marketing for JP SPC Vojvodina.[2]

Čomić was one of the first Serbian politicians to write a blog, starting in 2006.[3]

Politician[]

Čomić joined the Democratic Party's Novi Sad municipal board in 1992, became a spokesperson for the party at the city and provincial level, led its Novi Sad election headquarters in 1996, and served as president of the party's provincial board from 1998 to 2001.[4]

Čomić appeared on the Democratic Party's electoral lists in the 1992 and 1993 parliamentary elections, running in the Novi Sad electoral division. She was not included in her party's assembly delegation on either occasion.[5] (From 1992 to 2000, Serbia's electoral law stipulated that one-third of parliamentary mandates would be assigned to candidates on successful lists in numerical order, while the remaining two-thirds would be distributed amongst other candidates at the discretion of sponsoring parties or coalitions. Čomić was not given a high enough list position on either occasion to receive an automatic mandate, nor was she granted an optional mandate afterwards.)[6]

She was elected to the Vojvodina assembly for Novi Sad's thirteenth electoral district in the 1996 provincial election[7] and led the opposition group in the assembly from 1997 to 2000. Re-elected for Novi Sad's tenth district in 2000, she served as the assembly's deputy speaker from 2000 to 2001.[8][9] At the municipal level, she was a member of Novi Sad's executive committee in 1997.[10]

Parliamentarian[]

2000–12[]

Serbia's electoral system was revised for the 2000 parliamentary election, with the entire country becoming a single constituency. Čomić received the twenty-first position on the electoral list of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, a broad coalition that included the Democratic Party.[11] The list won a landslide majority with 176 out of 250 mandates, and Čomić was selected as part of its parliamentary delegation when the assembly in January 2001.[12] (From 2000 to 2011, all parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than to individual candidates, and it was common practice for the mandates to be distributed out of numerical order. Čomić did not automatically receive a mandate by virtue of her list position, but she was nonetheless chosen as a Democratic Party representative.)[13] She became a vice-president of the Democratic Party later in the year[14] and served as a deputy speaker of the assembly.

In October 2003, Čomić controversially delayed a vote of no-confidence in the government of Zoran Živković. Čomić was a supporter of Živković, and some opposition members charged that the delay was simply a method to buy more time for the government to build a working majority.[15] In the same period, Čomić oversaw a motion of non-confidence (which was ultimately unsuccessful) in assembly speaker Nataša Mićić.[16] Mićić dissolved the assembly for new elections on 13 November 2003. The Democratic Party contested the resulting 2003 parliamentary election on its own, and Čomić received the sixth position on its electoral list.[17] The list won thirty-seven mandates, and she was again chosen as part of the party's assembly delegation.[18] The rival Democratic Party of Serbia emerged at the head of a coalition government following the election, and the Democratic Party served in opposition.

In January 2004, Čomić supported Živković's candidacy against Boris Tadić for the vacant Democratic Party leadership.[19] It was reported that Tadić responded by blocking Čomić from becoming the new assembly speaker, a position she had expected to receive.[20] Tadić was chosen as party leader in early 2004, and Čomić was defeated in her concurrent bid for re-election as a party vice-president.[21] She chaired the assembly committees for international relations and European integration in the parliament that followed,[22] and in 2006 she was appointed as part of Serbia's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA).[23] She supported Serbia's integration into the European Union and criticized what she regarded as efforts to increase Serbia's dependence on Russia.[24] In 2006, she worked with parliamentarians from Montenegro on a regional charter of minority rights.[25]

Čomić was again selected as part of the Democratic Party's assembly delegation after the 2007 and 2008 elections.[26][27][28] The party returned to participation in government in 2007 and became the dominant force in a coalition government with the Socialist Party in 2008. In that year, Čomić was once again chosen as a deputy speaker of the assembly.[29] She indicated her support for the Statute of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in January 2009, arguing that it was not a separatist document (as some had suggested) and that it would benefit both Vojvodina and Serbia as a whole.[30]

2012–20[]

Serbia's electoral system was reformed once again in 2011, such that parliamentary mandates were awarded in numerical order to candidates on successful lists. Čomić was given the fifteenth position on the Democratic Party's Choice for a Better Life coalition list in the 2012 election and was re-elected when the list won sixty-seven mandates.[31] This election was won by the Serbian Progressive Party and its allies, and the Democratic Party moved into opposition. Čomić continued to serve in Serbia's OSCE PA delegation and was selected by this organization as a rapporteur for human rights and migration.[32]

In November 2013, Čomić headed an OSCE PA delegation overseeing the 2013 Tajikistani presidential election.[33] She was critical of the way the election was handled, saying, "While quiet and peaceful, this was an election without a real choice. Being in power requires abiding by OSCE commitments, not taking advantage of incumbency, as we saw here. Greater genuine political pluralism will be critical for Tajikistan to meet its democratic commitments."[34] Čomić later advocated for the OSCE PA's Baku Declaration.[35] She stood down from her membership in the organization in 2014.[36]

Čomić received high positions on the Democratic Party-led lists in the 2014 and 2016 elections and was easily re-elected both times.[37] She was chosen as a deputy speaker after both elections,[38] and in 2014 she was again selected as a party vice-president.[39] She also served as her party's critic on defence issues.[40] The Democratic Party remained in opposition during this time.

Čomić was an early supporter of Saša Janković's bid for president of Serbia in the 2017 election.[41] Janković was ultimately endorsed by the Democratic Party and finished a distant second against Aleksandar Vučić of the Progressive Party.[42]

During the 2016–20 parliament, Čomić was deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on constitutional and legislative issues; a member of the committee on Kosovo-Metohija, the European integration committee, and the committee on the rights of the child; a deputy member of the environmental protection committee and the defence and internal affairs committee; a deputy member of the European Union–Serbia stabilization and association committee; a member of a commission to "investigate the consequences of the NATO 1999 bombing on the health of the citizens of Serbia, as well as the environment, with a special focus on the impact of the depleted uranium projectiles"; a deputy member of the Serbia's delegation to the South-East European Cooperation Process parliamentary assembly; and a member of the parliamentary friendship groups with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.[43]

The Democratic Party began participating in a boycott of the national assembly in early 2019, against the backdrop of significant protests against Serbia's government. Čomić was expelled from the party in early 2020 after attending an assembly session while the boycott was still in place.[44] She indicated that her reason for returning to the assembly was to present draft legislation (which was ultimately successful) requiring at least forty per cent representation of women on election lists at both the republic and municipal levels.[45]

She sought re-election to the assembly in the 2020 parliamentary election as a non-party candidate, receiving the fourth position on the electoral list of the United Democratic Serbia alliance.[46] The list did not cross the electoral threshold to win representation in the assembly, and Čomić's term ended on 3 August 2020.

Cabinet minister[]

Čomić was appointed to prime minister Ana Brnabić's cabinet in October 2020 as minister of human and minority rights and social dialogue.[47]

In March 2021, Čomić brought forward a draft anti-discrimination law for same-sex unions in Serbia.[48] The legislation extends civic rights to same-sex couples, although it does not address marriage or adoption; Čomić contends that these subjects are matters of family law, whereas her legislation is focused on human rights issues.[49] The rights extended to same-sex unions under the legislation have prompted opposition from more conservative circles.[50][51][52] Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić has said that he will not sign the law on the grounds that it violates Serbia's constitution. Čomić has downplayed the importance of Vučić's opposition, affirming the law's constitutionality and saying that its validity will ultimately be determined by Serbia's constitutional court.[53]

References[]

  1. ^ "Чомић обавештена да је избрисана из чланства у ДС", Politika, 15 May 2020, accessed 18 June 2020.
  2. ^ Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Serbian expert says parties unaware of potential of internet, social networking," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 May 2010 (Source: Danas website, Belgrade, in Serbian 26 May 10); "Serbian politicians turn to Twitter to express views without "censorship"- paper," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 31 January 2012 (Source: Vecernje novosti website, Belgrade, in Serbian 23 Jan 12).
  4. ^ Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  5. ^ The Democratic Party ran in an alliance with the Reformist Democratic Party of Vojvodina in Novi Sad for the 1992 election. Čomić received the twenty-fourth position on the alliance's electoral list in Novi Sad; the list won two seats. See ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (6 Нови Сад) and Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за народне посланике у Народну скупштину Републике Србије, одржаних 20. и 27. децембра 1992. године и 3. јануара 1993. године, Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 30 July 2021. In 1993, Čomić received the seventh position on the Democratic Party's list in Novi Sad; the list won four seats. See ЗБИРНЕ ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (6 Нови Сад) and Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за народне посланике у Народну скупштину Републике Србије, одржаних 19. и 26. децембра 1993. године и 5. јануара 1994. године, Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 30 July 2021.
  6. ^ Guide to the Early Election, Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia, December 1992, made available by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, accessed 14 July 2017.
  7. ^ Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине одржаних 3. и 17. новембра 1996. године, Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  8. ^ Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине одржаних 24. септембра и 8. октобра 2000. године, Provincial Election Commission, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  9. ^ One of the candidates whom she defeated in the 2000 provincial election was Zoran Subotić, then a member of the Serbian Radical Party. See Velika Srbija [Serbian Radical Party publication], Volume 11 Number 1201 (September 2000), p. 15.
  10. ^ Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  11. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 23. децембра 2000. године и 10. јануара 2001. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска опозиција Србије – др Војислав Коштуница (Демократска странка, Демократска странка Србије, Социјалдемократија, Грађански савез Србије, Демохришћанска странка Србије, Нова Србија, Покрет за демократску Србију, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Реформска демократска странка Војводине, Коалиција Војводина, Савез војвођанских Мађара, Демократска алтернатива, Демократски центар, Нова демократија, Социјалдемократска унија, Санxачка демократска партија, Лига за Шумадију, Српски покрет отпора – Демократски покрет), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 July 2021.
  12. ^ PRVA KONSTITUTIVNA SEDNICA, 22.01.2001., Otvoreni Parlament, 11 January 2001, accessed 18 July 2021.
  13. ^ Serbia's Law on the Election of Representatives (2000) stipulated that parliamentary mandates would be awarded to electoral lists (Article 80) that crossed the electoral threshold (Article 81), that mandates would be given to candidates appearing on the relevant lists (Article 83), and that the submitters of the lists were responsible for selecting their parliamentary delegations within ten days of the final results being published (Article 84). See Law on the Election of Representatives, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 35/2000, made available via LegislationOnline, accessed 28 February 2017.
  14. ^ Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  15. ^ Misha Savic, "Serbian government under threat of no-confidence vote, possible early elections," Associated Press Newswires, 14 October 2003.
  16. ^ "Date of confidence vote in Serbian government to be set after debate," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 23 October 2003 (Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1813 gmt 23 Oct 03).
  17. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 28. децембра 2003. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА – БОРИС ТАДИЋ), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 2 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Serbia: Democratic Party submits list of assembly deputies," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 January 2004 (Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1518 gmt 14 Jan 04).
  19. ^ "Serbia: DS main committee members back Zivkovic's nomination for party chairman," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 18 January 2004 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1712 gmt 18 Jan 04).
  20. ^ "Democratic Party proposes Tadic for Serbian president, Zivkovic for premier," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 25 January 2004 (Source: Radio Belgrade in Serbian 1400 gmt 25 Jan 04); "Serbia: DSS official notes difficulties in reaching agreement with DS," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 1 February 2004 (Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1620 gmt 31 Jan 04).
  21. ^ Her candidacy for the position is mentioned in "Report sees "interesting' battle ahead for deputy chairman posts in Serbia's DS," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 6 February 2004 (Source: Politika, Belgrade, in Serbian 4 Feb 04). The fact that her term ended in 2004 is mentioned in Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  22. ^ "DIARY – Serbia and Montenegro – To May 29," Reuters News, 20 April 2005; "Serbian Assembly deputies say they found out about NATO accord from media," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 20 July 2005 (Source: Radio Belgrade in Serbian 1300 gmt 20 Jul 05).
  23. ^ "Serbia appoints delegations to European bodies," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 21 June 2006.
  24. ^ "Pro-Western parties criticize Serbia's premier over EU comments," Associated Press Newswires, 22 June 2006; "Speaker regrets Serbia not Russian province, vows it will not be EU colony," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 9 May 2007 (Source: Source: TV Pink, Belgrade, in Serbian 1715 gmt 8 May 07).
  25. ^ "WESTERN BALKANS MPS DEBATE EU ACCESSION, WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AND VISAS AT EP," US Fed News, 27 June 2006.
  26. ^ She received the thirteenth position on the party's list in 2007; the list won sixty-four mandates. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (Демократска странка – Борис Тадић), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021. She received the 244th position on the party's For a European Serbia list in 2008, due to the fact that the list was largely arranged in alphabetical order (the letter "Č" appears near the end of the Serbian alphabet). The list won 102 mandates. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ЗА ЕВРОПСКУ СРБИЈУ – БОРИС ТАДИЋ), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021.
  27. ^ 14 February 2007 legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021.
  28. ^ 11 June 2008 legislature, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Serbian assembly elects six deputy Speakers," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 June 2008 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 1308 gmt 26 Jun 08).
  30. ^ "Serbian opposition officials say Vojvodina Statue encourages separatism," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 16 January 2009 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 0856 gmt 16 Jan 09).
  31. ^ Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ИЗБОР ЗА БОЉИ ЖИВОТ- БОРИС ТАДИЋ), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021.
  32. ^ "The OSCE is concerned about the reduction of its offices," Turan Information Agency (Azerbaijan), 24 October 2013. In 2015, she was the chair of the OSCE's PA's committee on democracy, human rights and humanitarian questions. See "Stronger OSCE field presence, civil society co-operation and human rights focus recommended at PA seminar," ForeignAffairs.co.nz, 29 May 2015.
  33. ^ "Polls Open In Tajik Presidential Election," Radio Free Europe Documents and Publications, 6 November 2013.
  34. ^ "Tajik Elections Short of Democratic Standards: OSCE," Dow Jones International News, 7 November 2013.
  35. ^ "OSCE PA Annual Session: Migrants' rights, political prisoners at core of human rights committee resolution," News Press, 20 June 2014.
  36. ^ GORDANA COMIC, Archived 31 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 April 2017.
  37. ^ She received the sixth position in 2014 and the fifth position in 2016. See Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 16. и 23. марта 2014. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (СА ДЕМОКРАТСКОМ СТРАНКОМ ЗА ДЕМОКРАТСКУ СРБИЈУ), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021; and Избори за народне посланике 2016. године » Изборне листе (ЗА ПРАВЕДНУ СРБИЈУ – ДЕМОКРАТСКА СТРАНКА (НОВА, ДСХВ, ЗЗС)), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 10 July 2021.
  38. ^ See "Gojkovic elected Serbian parliament speaker," Xinhua News Agency, 23 April 2014.
  39. ^ "Serbian opposition party gets new leader," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 2 June 2014 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 0000 gmt 2 Jun 14).
  40. ^ "Serbian paper sees political backdrop behind helicopter crash," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 13 April 2015 (Source: Politika website, Belgrade, in Serbian 11 Apr 15).
  41. ^ "Serbian ex-minister seen preparing for presidential race," British Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting European, 2 January 2017 (Source: Vecernje novosti website in Serbian 28 Dec 16).
  42. ^ "Serbian ex-minister seen preparing for presidential race," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 2 January 2017 (Source: Vecernje novosti website in Serbian 28 Dec 16).
  43. ^ Gordana Comic, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 25 June 2020.
  44. ^ "Čomić: Odluka o mom isključenju iz DS-a je već doneta". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). 8 February 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  45. ^ "'NAPRAVILA SAM IZBOR' U srpskom parlamentu rasprava o izbornim zakonima, Gordana Čomić (DS) se vratila u skupštinsku salu", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 6 February 2020, accessed 29 June 2021.
  46. ^ ИЗБОРИ ЗА НАРОДНЕ ПОСЛАНИКЕ НАРОДНЕ СКУПШТИНЕ, 21. ЈУН 2020. ГОДИНЕ Изборне листе (УЈЕДИЊЕНА ДЕМОКРАТСКА СРБИЈА (Војвођански фронт, Србија 21, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Странка модерне Србије, Грађански демократски форум, ДСХВ, Демократски блок, Заједно за Војводину, Унија Румуна Србије, Војвођанска партија, Црногорска партија)), Republika Srbija – Republička izborna komisija, accessed 16 June 2020.
  47. ^ Među nestranačkim kadrovima i oni koji to nisu, za fotelju – 'hvala predsedniku'", N1, 26 October 2020, accessed 29 June 2021.
  48. ^ "Čomić: Predlogom zakona o istopolnim zajednicama briše diskriminaciju", N1, 10 March 2021, accessed 29 June 2021.
  49. ^ Tatjana Aleksić, "Zakon o istopolnim zajednicama – reguliše zajednički život, ne i usvajanje dece", N1, 22 March 2021, accessed 29 June 2021.
  50. ^ Emina Muminović, "Is Serbia ready for the Law on Same-Sex Unions?", European Western Balkans, 6 April 2021, accessed 29 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Obradović: Gordana Čomić ništa ne radi sama u Vučićevoj vladi", Danas, 21 May 2021, accessed 29 June 2021.
  52. ^ "Šešelj: SRS zahteva da se Čomić smeni sa mesta ministra", Danas, 1 July 2021, accessed 2 July 2021.
  53. ^ "Čomić o Vučićevoj izjavi: Ima pravo na svoj stav, neću ga javno kritikovati", N1, 6 May 2021, accessed 29 June 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by
Svetozar Čiplić 		Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue
2020– 		Incumbent
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