Marinika Tepić

Marinika Tepić (née Čobanu;^[1] Serbian Cyrillic: Мариника Тепић, née Чобану; born 8 August 1974) is a Serbian politician. She is a vice-president of the Party of Freedom and Justice (Stranka slobode i pravde, SSP) and a prominent figure in the opposition to Aleksandar Vučić.

Marinika Tepić
Мариника Тепић
Tepić in 2019
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 August 2022
In office 3 June 2016 – 3 August 2020
In office 16 April 2014 – 24 April 2014
Secretary for Sports and Youth in the Government of Vojvodina
In office 11 July 2012 – 20 June 2016
Preceded by	Modest Dulić
Succeeded by	Vladimir Batez
Personal details
Born	Marinika Čobanu (1974-08-08) 8 August 1974 (age 48) Pančevo, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Political party	LSV (2008–2017) Nova (2017–2018) SSP (2019–present)
Spouse	Milan Tepić
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Belgrade

Tepić was Secretary for Sports and Youth in the government of Vojvodina from 2012 to 2016 and a member of the National Assembly of Serbia from 2016 to 2020. Prior to joining the SSP on its formation in 2019, she was at different times a member of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (Liga socijaldemokrata Vojvodine, LSV) and the New Party (Nova stranka, NOVA). She was re-elected to the national assembly in the 2022 parliamentary election as the list bearer for the United for the Victory of Serbia alliance of opposition parties.

Early life and career

Tepić was born to an ethnic Romanian family in Pančevo, in what was then the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in the Socialist Republic of Serbia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology in 1995 in English and Romanian languages and, in the same year, began teaching elementary school English in Pančevo.^[2] She was a professional journalist from 1997 to 2009, writing and reporting for Radio 021, Danas, and the Romanian language publication Libertatea, among other outlets. Tepić is also a veteran human rights and minority rights campaigner and has served as the deputy director for the National Council for the Decentralization of the Republic of Serbia.^[3]

Politician

Local politics (2008–16)

Tepić was a member of Pančevo's election commission in the 2008 Serbian local elections.^[4] She appeared in the lead position on the LSV's electoral list for the Pančevo city assembly in the 2012 local elections and was elected when the list won five mandates.^[5][6] She resigned her seat on 16 July 2012 after being appointed to the provincial executive.^[7]

She again led the LSV list for Pančevo in the 2016 local elections and was re-elected when the list won six seats.^[8][9] She resigned her local mandate on 4 July 2016, this time after taking a seat in the national assembly.^[10]

Vojvodina government minister (2012–16)

Tepić received the twenty-fourth position on the LSV's electoral list in the 2012 Vojvodina provincial election. (During this period, half of the Vojvodina assembly's 120 seats were determined by proportional representation and the other half by election in single-member constituencies.) The LSV won eight proportional seats, and Tepić was not elected.^[11] The party joined a coalition government after the election, however, and Tepić was appointed to the provincial executive as secretary for sports and youth.^[3]

In 2013, Tepić oversaw the introduction of the first sex education classes in the province, following a ten-month consultation process. In announcing the program, she said that it had the approval of ninety-five per cent of parents surveyed by the secretariat and was unlikely to face the same opposition as had a similar initiative in neighbouring Croatia.^[12] This notwithstanding, some educational material provoked a backlash from socially conservative groups; the Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Srbije, DSS), which held four seats in the assembly, argued that one publication "promoted homosexuality" and that Tepić should resign as secretary. She defended the material and remained in her position.^[1]

She received the sixth position on the LSV's list in the 2016 provincial election, which was conducted entirely under proportional representation. The party won nine seats; she was elected but declined her mandate in order to serve in the national assembly, to which she had been elected in the concurrent 2016 Serbian parliamentary election.^[13][14] Both the republic and provincial elections were won by the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) and its allies; a new government was formed in Vojvodina, and Tepić stood down from her cabinet position on 20 June 2016.

Member of the National Assembly (2014; 2016–20) and after

League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina

The LSV contested the 2014 Serbian parliamentary election on the list of former Serbian president Boris Tadić. Tepić received the sixth position on the list and was elected when it won eighteenth mandates.^[15] She resigned her seat shortly thereafter, however, in order to continue serving on the provincial executive.^[16]

In the 2016 parliamentary election, Tepić received the eleventh position on a coalition list including the LSV and was re-elected when the list won thirteen mandates.^[17] The Progressive Party and its allies won the election, and Tepić served in opposition; this notwithstanding, she was appointed as head of the assembly's committee on European integration. She was also a deputy member of the committee on human and minority rights and gender equality, the committee on the rights of the child, and the committee on administrative, budgetary, mandate, and immunity issues; a substitute member of Serbia's delegation to the parliamentary dimension of the Central European Initiative; and a member of the parliamentary friendship groups with Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands.^[18]

Tepić resigned from the LSV in January 2017, in protest against party leader Nenad Čanak's decision to contest the 2017 Serbian presidential election rather than supporting the candidacy of Saša Janković.^[19] She served on Janković's political committee during the campaign.^[20] Janković ultimately finished second against Aleksandar Vučić. In April 2017, having lost her party affiliation, Tepić was removed from her committee assignments in the national assembly at the LSV's discretion.^[21]

New Party

 

Tepić in 2018

Tepić joined the New Party in April 2017, becoming its second member in the assembly after party leader Zoran Živković.^[22] She was appointed to the party's presidency and was named as its provincial leader in Vojvodina. The following month, Živković and Tepić joined with three former members of the Enough Is Enough (Dosta je bilo, DJB) association to start a parliamentary group called the Independent MPs Club.^[23]

Tepić, a vocal opponent of fascism, was harassed by anonymous graffiti messages from extreme right-wing groups in 2017; one such message read, "Corneliu Codreanu, not Marinika Čobanu." The New Party condemned these messages and argued that they were being condoned by Serbia's government and state organs.^[24] In the same period, Tepić reported receiving death threats from right-wing groups, and Živković urged the government to assess whether she required protection.^[25][26] Meho Omerović, the chair of the assembly's committee on human and minority rights, condemned the threats against her and urged the police to ensure her safety.^[27]

The New Party contested the March 2018 Belgrade City Assembly election in a coalition with the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS) and the Social Democratic Party (Socijaldemokratska stranka, SDS); their combined list did not cross the electoral threshold. Tepić resigned her leadership positions in the party the following month, saying that it had failed to respond properly to its defeat.^[28] Some media sources reported that she had resigned from the party, but she clarified that she was still a member and, moreover, was not calling for Živković's resignation.^[29] By September of the same year, however, she was no longer actively involved with the party.^[30]

Party of Freedom and Justice

On 19 April 2019, Tepić was selected as a vice-president of the newly formed Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP).^[31] Like several other opposition parties, the SSP began a policy of non-participation with state institutions, including the national assembly, in 2019 and ultimately boycotted the 2020 parliamentary election.

Since joining the SSP, Tepić has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Aleksandar Vučić's presidency and Serbia's SNS-led administration. She has accused the regime of involvement with organized crime groups, charging that the government created the notorious Belivuk clan before later turning against it.^[32] In April 2021, she accused Dragan Marković, the leader of the United Serbia (Jedinstvena Srbija, JS) party and an ally of the administration, of organizing the prostitution of women and girls, some underage, at a prominent nightclub in his home community of Jagodina. She also accused the regime of shielding Marković from prosecution.^[33] (An investigation was launched shortly after Tepić first made her charges. Marković responded that the accusations against him were "lies" and brought a lawsuit against Tepić in early 2022. The matter remains unresolved.)^[34][35][36]

Serbia's opposition parties ended their boycott of the electoral process in 2022. Tepić appeared in the lead position on the United for the Victory of Serbia list in the 2022 parliamentary election and was elected to a third term when the list won thirty-eight seats.^[37] The SNS and its allies once again won the election, and the SSP serves in opposition. In late May 2022, it was announced that Tepić would lead an assembly group comprising the SSP, the Movement of Free Citizens (Pokret slobodnih građana, PSG), the Movement for Reversal (Pokret za preokret, PZP), the "Sloga" Trade Union, and some independent members.^[38] She is now a member of the security services control committee, a deputy member of the defence and internal affairs committee, and the chair of Serbia's delegation to the European Union–Serbia stabilization and association committee.^[39][40]

On 1 June 2022, Tepić voiced her support for sanctioning Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[41]

References

1. "Čobanu: Udžbenik ne promoviše homoseksualnost", Blic (Source: www.021.rs), 8 October 2013, accessed 5 July 2018.
2. Milenković, Piše: Mirjana R. "Marinika Tepić: Rođena za vođu". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-05-31.
3. MARINIKA TEPIĆ, Otvoreni Parlament, accessed 5 July 2018.
4. Službeni List (Opštine Pančevo), Volume 15 Number 10 (12 May 2008), p. 232.
5. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 5 Number 11 (25 April 2012), p. 14.
6. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 5 Number 12 (7 May 2012), p. 2.
7. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 5 Number 29 (3 August 2012), p. 2.
8. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 9 Number 8 (13 April 2016), p. 4.
9. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 9 Number 10 (25 April 2016), p. 17.
10. Službeni List (Grada Pančeva), Volume 9 Number 20 (4 July 2016), p. 1.
11. Изборне листе за изборе за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне Покрајине Војводине (Изборна листа 2 - ЛИГА СОЦИЈАЛДЕМОКРАТА ВОЈВОДИНЕ-НЕНАД ЧАНАК - кандидати за посланике) (2012), Provincial Election Commission of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 6 July 2018.
12. Colin Graham, "Sex Education - Sex education comes to Balkans," Times Educational Supplement, 20 August 2013, p. 8.
13. И З Б О Р Н А Л И С Т А ЗА ИЗБОРЕ ПОСЛАНИКА У СКУПШТИНУ АУТОНОМНЕ ПОКРАЈИНЕ ВОЈВОДИНЕ (Коалиција Ненад Чанак – Лига социјалдемократа Војводине – Дигни главу!) (2016), Provincial Election Commission of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 30 October 2017.
14. "Извештај о укупним резултатима избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне покрајине Војводине одржаних 24. априла 2016. године" and "Одлука о изменама Извештаја о укупним резултатима избора за посланике у Скупштину Аутономне покрајине Војводине одржаних 24. априла 2016. године", Provincial Election Commission of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, accessed 5 July 2018.
15. Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине одржани 16. и 23. марта 2014. године – ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (11 БОРИС ТАДИЋ - Нова демократска странка - Зелени, ЛСВ - Ненад Чанак, Заједно за Србију, VMDK, Заједно за Војводину, Демократска левица Рома), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 14 June 2022.
16. 16 April 2014 legislature, National Assembly of Serbia, accessed 5 July 2018.
17. Избори за народне посланике 2016. године – Изборне листе (7 БОРИС ТАДИЋ, ЧЕДОМИР ЈОВАНОВИЋ - САВЕЗ ЗА БОЉУ СРБИЈУ – Либерално демократска партија, Лига социјалдемократа Војводине, Социјалдемократска странка), Republic Election Commission, Republic of Serbia, accessed 14 June 2022.
18. МАРИНИКА ТЕПИЋ, 2016-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 14 June 2022.
19. "Marinika Tepić izašla iz LSV, ne podržava Čankovu kandidaturu za predsednika, već Jankovića", Blic (Source: Beta), 31 January 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
20. "Marinika Tepić članica Političkog saveta Saše Jankovića", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 2 February 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
21. "Skupština razrešila Mariniku Tepić i tri bivša člana DJB", N1, 21 April 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
22. "Marinika Tepić se priključila Novoj stranci", Novosti (Source: Tanjug), 21 April 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
23. "Bivši poslanici DJB i Nove stranke osnovali novi poslanički klub", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 31 May 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
24. "Nova stranka: Pretnje poslanici Mariniki Tepić na grafitima u Beogradu", Beta, 13 December 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
25. "Grafiti sa pretnjama Mariniki Tepić", '"Danas, 13 December 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
26. "Marinika Tepić: Osećam se jezivo zbog pretnji", N1, 29 January 2018, accessed 5 July 2018.
27. "Omerović: Nedopustive pretnje poslanici Tepić, tužilaštvo i policija da reaguju", Blic (Source: Tanjug), 6 December 2017, accessed 5 July 2018.
28. "Marinika Tepić podnela ostavku na funkcije u Novoj stranci", N1, 14 April 2018, accessed 5 July 2018.
29. "Tepić: Ostajem u stranci, nisam tražila smenu Živkovića", 17 April 2018, accessed 5 July 2018.
30. "Tepić: Podržavam osnivanje SZS", Danas, 17 September 2018, accessed 24 January 2019.
31. L. Valtner, "Formirana Stranka slobode i pravde", Danas, 19 April 2019, accessed 23 April 2019.
32. "Marinika Tepić: Vučić je stvorio Belivukov klan, zaslužni iz klana dobili posao u Pančevu", Beta, 21 March 2022, accessed 14 June 2022.
33. "Tepić (SSP): Palma doživeo civilnu smrt, biće upamćen kao organizator pedofilije i prostitucije", Danas, 18 October 2021, accessed 14 June 2022.
34. "DRAGAN MARKOVIĆ PALMA: Tužiću Mariniku Tepić! Ona je Đilasov glasnogovornik kog se ne plašim". kurir.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-04-19.
35. "Dragan Marković Palma tužio Mariniku Tepić", N1, 11 February 2022, accessed 14 June 2022.
36. It’s been three months since the so-called Palma affair and nothing has been done", Serbian Monitor, 21 July 2021, accessed 14 June 2022.
37. Sofija Popović, ""Prva na listi Ujedinjeni za pobedu Srbije Marinika Tepić: Prepoznatljivo lice za osetljive teme", Vreme, 19 February 2022, accessed 14 June 2022.
38. "SSP, PSG, Pokret za preokret i Sindikat Sloga zajedno u Skupštini, predvodnik Marinika Tepić", Beta, 24 May 2022, accessed 14 June 2022.
39. "EWB: Marinika Tepić će voditi odbor za saradnju sa Evropskim parlamentom", Danas 3 August 2022, accessed 3 August 2022.
40. MARINIKA TEPIC, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 3 August 2022.
41. ": Мариника Тепић (ССП) о увођењу санкција Русији: То није само ствар усаглашавања са ЕУ, него и цивилизацијски став. Братислав Југовић (СНС): Ако су нам пријатељи, Русија треба да нам опрости један "нежан пакет санкција"". Нова српска политичка мисао (in Serbian). Retrieved 2022-06-01.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marinika Tepić.