SPS Vojvodina Deputy Resigns From All Party Posts After Ružić Expulsion

Ivan Đoković has withdrawn from every position he held in the Socialist Party of Serbia after three decades in the party. The former vice president of the Vojvodina government and provincial secretary for economy and tourism said his resignation followed his public opposition to Branko Ružić’s expulsion.

Đoković resigned as vice president of the SPS Vojvodina board, as well as from the party’s Executive Board, Provincial Board and Main Board. He also stepped down as director of the Special Port of Pančevo.

He told FoNet that his decision marked a more serious political divide rather than a personal dispute with Dušan Bajatović, the president of the SPS provincial board. “The immediate reason for my resignations is my public opposition to the decision to expel Branko Ružić and the support I have given him after years of disagreement with part of the SPS leadership’s policies,” Đoković said.

“

The immediate reason for my resignations is my public opposition to the decision to expel Branko Ružić and the support I have given him after years of disagreement with part of the SPS leadership’s policies.

He said that by taking this position he knowingly exposed himself to harsh political labels within the SPS. He concluded that he could no longer keep his posts while publicly defending views he believed in. Đoković has previously criticized what he described as the party’s increasingly dependent position in relation to the Serbian Progressive Party, while remaining politically close to Ružić.

“For now, I do not intend to leave the SPS. I want to remain a member of the party I have belonged to for three decades, but not at the cost of giving up my own political views,” he said. He added that leaving his posts did not necessarily mean the end of his political engagement. He may remain a passive member, or seek a political path outside the party if the differences become impossible to bridge.

“

For now, I do not intend to leave the SPS. I want to remain a member of the party I have belonged to for three decades, but not at the cost of giving up my own political views.