He Left During a Moment of Silence for Mladić: Who Is Serbia’s ‘Eternal Minister’ Behind the Gesture?

Rasim Ljajić stood apart from roughly 150 guests when a moment of silence began at Belgrade’s Rajko Mitić Stadium for Ratko Mladić, the war criminal convicted by an international court and sentenced to life in prison. The president of Partizan instead left the central box for the stadium’s restaurant area.

Ljajić has not publicly explained his departure. Everything beyond that remains interpretation, but leaving precisely during the tribute was widely understood as a refusal to take part. The gesture resonated particularly strongly in Serbia, where public glorification of Mladić has been especially visible in recent days.

The episode also drew attention to Ljajić’s long political career. Born in Novi Pazar on January 28, 1964, he trained as a doctor at the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo and worked as a journalist before entering government. He wrote for newspapers and periodicals across the former Yugoslavia from 1989 to 2000.

After beginning his political career in 1990, Ljajić became a minister following the fall of Slobodan Milošević and went on to serve in almost every important Serbian government. His posts included minister for human and minority rights, minister of labour and social policy, and deputy prime minister and minister of trade, tourism and telecommunications from 2012 to 2020. His ability to remain in office across changing governments and coalitions earned him the nickname “the eternal minister.”

War crimes have been a significant part of his political record. From July 2004, Ljajić chaired Serbia’s National Council for Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. From 2006, he also coordinated the action plan for completing Serbia’s cooperation with the tribunal, including the search for fugitives such as Mladić.