How do social movements take the “electoral turn” in unfavourable contexts? The case of “Do Not Let Belgrade D(r)own”

ABSTRACT

In recent years, researchers have investigated many cases of new left social movements’ “electoral turns” in relatively favourable contexts that are open for new actors. This article explains how new left movements decide to enter the electoral competition despite an unfavourable context and low electoral prospects, based on the case study of “Do Not Let Belgrade D(r)own”, a municipalist initiative in Serbia. The article investigates in particular the role of eventful protests in changing activists’ perceptions of the electoral strategy and describes activists’ strategic framing in communicating the “electoral turn”.

KEYWORDS:

• Electoral turn
• movement parties
• social movement strategy
• Southeastern Europe
• municipalism
• eventful protest

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Donatella Della Porta, Manuela Caiani, Chiara Milan, Danijela Dolenec, Måns Lundstedt, and two anonymous reviewers for thoughtful feedback to various drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term “new left” is used in this article as an umbrella term subsuming diverse organisations and initiatives that developed in Serbia and other countries of former Yugoslavia over the last decade (see Štiks 2015).

2 Source: Mayor Siniša Mali in interview to the daily newspaper Blic, 2 October 2015, https://www.beograd.rs/index.php?kat=beoinfo&lang=cir&sub=1703653%3f (Retrieved on 13 June 2022).

3 Official report of the City Electoral Commission: http://www.beograd.rs/lat/gradska-vlast/1746534-/ (Retrieved on 13 June 2022).

4 Interview with Luka, Belgrade, 17 January 2019.

5 Informer, issue no. 1250, 9 June 2016.

6 Interview with Milica, Belgrade, 21 January 2019.

7 For instance, on 26 June 2016, Danas published a special issue dedicating 26 full pages to the coverage of the Savamala demolition and the protest wave.

8 Danas, 4 April 2017, pp. 1 and 23.

9 Author’s own data.

10 Slobodna Evropa. 13 April 2017, “Mogu li ‘Protesti protiv diktature’ postati masovni?”. https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/protesti-protiv-diktature-drustveni-slojevi/28428001.html (Retrieved on 14 December 2021.); Danas. 6 April 2017, “Četvrti dan: Protesti protiv vlasti se nastavljaju”. https://www.danas.rs/politika/cetvrti-dan-protesti-protiv-vlasti-se-nastavljaju-video/ (Retrieved on 14 December 2021).

11 Interview with Ivana, Belgrade, 29 March 2019.

12 Integral text of the demands accessible in original language at the website of Zrenjanin Social Forum: http://www.zsf.rs/saopstenja/studenti-u-svim-gradovima-ujedinjeni-oko-zahteva/ (Retrieved on 14 December 2021.)

13 Interviews with Ivana, Belgrade, 29 March 2019; and Stefan, Belgrade, 4 July 2019.

14 Interview with Sara, Belgrade, 18 January 2019.

15 Interviews with Milica, Belgrade, 21 January 2019; Marija, Belgrade, 16 January 2019; and Sara, Belgrade, 18 January 2019.

16 Interwiev with Stefan, Belgrade, 4 July 2019.

17 Interview with Lazar, Belgrade, 27 March 2019.

18 Interview with Dragana, Belgrade, 18 March 2019.

19 Interview with Bogdan, Belgrade, 11 July 2019.

20 “Inicijativa Ne davimo Beograd podnela izbornu listu kandidata za gradske izbore!” https://nedavimobeograd.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/inicijativa-ne-davimo-beograd-podnela-izbornu-listu-kandidata-za-gradske-izbore/, (Retrieved on 18 November 2020).

21 Interviews with Dušan, Belgrade, 12 March 2019; and Lazar, Belgrade, 27 March 2019.

22 Interview with Mihajlo, Belgrade, 15 March 2019.

23 Južne vesti. 1 July 2017. “Građanski front pustio političke stranke niz Nišavu.” https://www.juznevesti.com/Drushtvo/Gradjanski-front-pustio-politicke-stranke-niz-Nisavu.sr.html (Retrieved on May 2 2020).

24 Core NDB activist, in speech to the demonstrations on 13 July 2016.

25 Core NDB activist, in a speech to the demonstrations on 25 June 2016.

26 NDB supporter activist, in a speech to the demonstrations on 13 July 2016.

27 The term “nonpartisan” is used as the most precise translation of the original-language term “nestranački”, which narrowly describes the lack of relationship to political parties and does not entail broader meaning of being neutral or free from bias.

28 Facebook announcement for the protest event on 27 September 2015. https://www.facebook.com/nedavimobeograd/photos/gm.915889405155581/524409531069890/?type=3&source=44 (Retrieved on 2 May 2021).

29 Interview with Tijana, Belgrade, 16 January 2019.

30 Radio-televizija Srbije. 15 August 2013. Vučić i Đilas o "Beogradu na vodi", https://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/9/politika/1378254/vucic-i-djilas-o-beogradu-na-vodi.html (Retrieved on 3 May 2021).

31 Interview with Dušan, Belgrade, 12 March 2019.

32 Core NDB activist, in a speech to the demonstrations, on 16 June 2016.

33 Interview with Tijana, Belgrade, 16 January 2019.

34 Interview with Dušan, Belgrade, 12 March 2019.

35 Activist, in the interview with TV Šabac, on 24 April 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL6cNWxHmow.

36 Statement of “Do Not Let Belgrade D(r)own” on the occasion of announcing its participation in the 2018 Belgrade city election. https://www.danas.rs/dijalog/licni-stavovi/zasto-idemo-na-izbore/.

37 Interview with Dunja, Belgrade, 28 September 2021.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karlo Kralj

Karlo Kralj is a PhD candidate in Political Science and Sociology at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the Scuola Normale Superiore, and a member of Center on Social Movement Studies.