Predrag Umičević
{{Short description|Serbian engineer and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
Predrag Umičević ({{lang-sr-cyr|Предраг Умичевић; born 4 September 1963}}) is a Serbian engineer and former politician. He served in the National Assembly of Serbia from 2007 to 2008 and was the mayor of Smederevo from 2008 to 2012. During his time as an elected official, Umićević was a member of the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS).
Early life and career
Umičević was born in Smederevo, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering with a major in mechanization and took postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Occupational Safety in Niš. He oversaw the metal design company SZMR (which produced grid metal structures) from 1990 to 2004, and from 1996 to 2006 he was the owner and director of the company "Metaling PUT."[http://smederevo.org.rs/OPSTINA-SMEDEREVO-Gradonacelnik-i-zamenik-gradonacelnika-_107_2_21__cir Градоначелник и заменик градоначелника], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622001618/http://smederevo.org.rs/OPSTINA-SMEDEREVO-Gradonacelnik-i-zamenik-gradonacelnika-_107_2_21__cir |date=2012-06-22 }}, City of Smederevo, accessed 24 October 2022.
Politician
=Early years (2002–06)=
In 2000, the Democratic Party participated in the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (Demokratska opozicija Srbije, DOS), a broad and ideological diverse coalition of parties opposed to Slobodan Milošević's administration. The DOS won a majority victory in Smederevo in the 2000 Serbian local elections, and the DS afterward participated in the local government.[https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2001/Pdf/G20016003.pdf Izbori, 2000. Za Odbornike Skupština Opština i Gradova], Bureau of Statistics – Republic of Serbia, p. 54. Umičević was appointed to the city's executive board in 2002 with responsibility for entrepreneurship. The following year, the local DOS administration fell apart and the DS came to power on its own; Umičević was promoted to president of the executive board. He served in this role until another change in government in March 2004.[http://smederevo.org.rs/OPSTINA-SMEDEREVO-Gradonacelnik-i-zamenik-gradonacelnika-_107_2_21__cir Градоначелник и заменик градоначелника], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622001618/http://smederevo.org.rs/OPSTINA-SMEDEREVO-Gradonacelnik-i-zamenik-gradonacelnika-_107_2_21__cir |date=2012-06-22 }}, City of Smederevo, accessed 24 October 2022.[https://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=03&dd=15&nav_category=11&nav_id=135237 "Izabrano novo rukovodstvo SO Smederevo"], B92, 15 March 2004, accessed 25 October 2022. In September 2003, he hosted a Days of European Heritage event in the city.[http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2003/09/07/srpski/K03090606.shtml "Smederevo se predstavlja Evropi"], Glas javnosti, 7 September 2003.
Serbia introduced the direct election of mayors in the 2004 Serbian local elections, and the mayoral election in Smederevo was won by Jasna Avramović of the "Movement for Smederevo." She was defeated in a recall election the following year, and a by-election was held in early 2006 to determine her successor. Umičević ran as the Democratic Party's candidate and was defeated in the second round by a candidate of the rival Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Srbije, DSS).[https://www.blic.rs/vesti/srbija/selo-izabralo-gradonacelnika/77lj3ej "Selo izabralo gradonačelnika"], Blic, 7 March 2006, accessed 24 October 2022.
=Parliamentarian (2007–08)=
Umičević received the 240th position (out of 250) on the Democratic Party's electoral list for the National Assembly of Serbia in the 2007 Serbian parliamentary election.[http://arhiva.rik.parlament.gov.rs/arhiva-izbori-za-narodne-poslanike-2007.php Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 21. јануара и 8. фебрауара 2007. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (1 Демократска странка – Борис Тадић)], Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021. The list won sixty-four seats, and he was included in his party's delegation when the new assembly convened.[https://www.novosti.rs/%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0.393.html:194013-NOVI-PARLAMENT-OD-SREDE "НОВИ ПАРЛАМЕНТ ОД СРЕДЕ"], Novosti, 10 February 2007, accessed 24 October 2022. (From 2000 to 2011, Serbian parliamentary mandates were awarded to sponsoring parties or coalitions rather than individual candidates, and it was common practice for the mandates to be assigned out of numerical order.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 [http://www.legislationline.org/topics/country/5/topic/6 LegislationOnline], accessed 28 February 2017. Umičević's position on the list – which was in any event mostly alphabetical – had no specific bearing on his chances of election.) The DS formed an unstable coalition government with the DSS and G17 Plus after the election, and Umičević served as a supporter of the administration. He was a member of the committee for industry, the committee for transport and communications, and the committee for privatization.ДЕТАЉИ О НАРОДНОМ ПОСЛАНИКУ: УМИЧЕВИЋ, ПРЕДРАГ, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317010156/http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/content/cir/sastav/poslanici_detalji.asp?id=1147 |date=2008-03-17 }}, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 24 October 2022.
The DS–DSS alliance broke down in early 2008, and a new assembly election was called for March 2008. Umičević received the 228th position on the DS-led For a European Serbia (Za evropsku Srbiju, ZES) list and was again chosen for a mandate when the list won 102 seats.[http://arhiva.rik.parlament.gov.rs/arhiva-izbori-za-narodne-poslanike-2008.php Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 11. маја 2008. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (1 ЗА ЕВРОПСКУ СРБИЈУ – БОРИС ТАДИЋ)], Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021.[http://www.parlament.gov.rs/national-assembly/composition/members-of-parliament/legislature-archive/11-june-2008-legislature.1570.html 11 June 2008 legislature], National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021. The election results were inconclusive, but ZES eventually formed a new government with the Socialist Party of Serbia (Socijalistička partija Srbije, SPS).
=Mayor of Smederevo (2008–12)=
Serbia abandoned the direct election of mayors with the 2008 Serbian local elections. The Democratic Party won fourteen seats in the Smederevo city assembly in this cycle and afterward formed a new local coalition government with other parties. Umičević, who appeared third on the DS's list, was elected to the city assembly and was afterward chosen as mayor by a vote of the elected delegates.Izvestaj o rezultatima izbora (Izbori 2008), p. 2; [https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2009/Pdf/G20096005.pdf Lokalni Izbori 2008]; Bureau of Statistics, Republic of Serbia; pp. 12, 53.Službeni List (Grada Smedereva), Volume 1 Number 1 (14 July 2008), p. 13. He resigned from the national assembly eleven days later, contending that there was a conflict of interest between the positions and that he would need to devote more time to his responsibilities at the city level.The view that there was a conflict of interest between the positions was not universally held at the time. See [https://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=06&dd=25&nav_id=305505 "Ima li sukoba interesa"], B92, 25 June 2008.[http://www.parlament.gov.rs/national-assembly/composition/members-of-parliament/legislature-archive/11-june-2008-legislature.1570.html 11 June 2008 legislature], National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 10 July 2021.
As mayor, Umičević promoted a land-lease deal with the company Komiko Oil to construct a refinery on city-owned land. The local assembly initially rejected his proposal in January 2012; Umičević blamed this on a misunderstanding, and ultimately the deal was approved in April of the same year.[https://www.blic.rs/vesti/ekonomija/smederevskom-gradonacelniku-zao-sto-nije-izglasana-odluka-o-rafineriji/btebqkc "Smederevskom Gradonačelniku žao što nije izglasana odluka o rafineriji"], Blic (Source: Beta), 27 January 2012, accessed 24 October 2022. (The project was later cancelled by his successor's administration for non-payment of land fees.)[https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/grad-smederevo-stavio-van-snage-ugovor-sa-komikom/ "Grad Smederevo stavio van snage ugovor sa Komikom"], Danas, 5 February 2013, accessed 24 October 2022.
Umičević led the DS's list for Smederevo in the 2012 local elections and was re-elected to the local assembly when the list won twelve mandates.Službeni List (Grada Smedereva), Volume 5 Number 5 (25 April 2012), p. 2.Službeni List (Grada Smedereva), Volume 5 Number 6 (14 May 2012), p. 12; Službeni List (Grada Smedereva), Volume 5 Number 7 (15 May 2012), p. 2; [https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2012/Pdf/G20126016.pdf ЛОКАЛНИ ИЗБОРИ 2012], Bureau of Statistics, Republic of Serbia; pp. 14, 91. The DS list finished second against Jasna Avramović's list; Avramović was able to form a new coalition government after the election, and Umičević's term as mayor came to an end. He served in the assembly for the next four years and did not seek re-election in 2016.
Electoral record
=Local (Smederevo)=
{{Election results
| caption = 2006 Municipality of Smederevo local by-election: Mayor of Smederevo
| cand1 = Saša Radosavljević
| party1 = Democratic Party of Serbia
| ivotes1 = 6102
| votes1_2 = 16428
| cand2 = Predrag Umičević
| party2 = Democratic Party
| ivotes2 = 7577
| votes2_2 = 14349
| cand3 = Dragan Čolić
| party3 = Serbian Radical Party
| ivotes3 = 5825
| votes3_2 =
| cand4 = Tomislav Petrović
| party4 = Liberal Democratic Party
| votes4 =
| votes4_2 =
| cand5 = Dejan Reljić
| party5 = Strength of Serbia Movement
| votes5 =
| votes5_2 =
| cand6 = Bogoljub Spasojević
| party6 = Citizens' Group: For a Better Village, For a Better City
| votes6 =
| votes6_2 =
| cand7 = Slaviša Stevanović
| party7 = Citizens' Group: Coalition for a Better Smederevo
| votes7 =
| votes7_2 =
| cand8 = Vladimir Todorović
| party8 = Citizens' Group: Movement for Smederevo
| votes8 =
| votes8_2 =
| cand9 = Dušan Trajković
| party9 = G17 Plus
| votes9 =
| votes9_2 =
| cand10 = Zoran Zarić
| party10 = Socialist Party of Serbia
| votes10 =
| votes10_2 =
| valid =
| valid_2 = 30777
| invalid =
| invalid_2 =
| electorate =
| electorate_2 =
| source = "Smederevo: Deset kandidata za predsednika opštine", {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514030655/http://www.cedajovanovic.com/code/navigate.php?Id=341 |date=2006-05-14 }}, Čedomir Jovanović (source: Danas), accessed 24 October 2022.[https://www.b92.net/info/komentari.php?nav_id=188378 "Smederevo: Do podneva glasalo 17%"], B92, 12 December 2006, accessed 26 October 2022.[https://www.blic.rs/vesti/srbija/selo-izabralo-gradonacelnika/77lj3ej "Selo izabralo gradonačelnika"], Blic, 7 March 2006, accessed 24 October 2022. The first-round results are based on provisional totals; the second-round results are unofficial.
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