Serb Democratic Party (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Serb Democratic Party Српска демократска странка Srpska demokratska stranka | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SDS (СДС) |
| President | Branko Blanuša |
| Founder | Radovan Karadžić |
| Founded | 12 July 1990 |
| Headquarters | Trg Ilidžanske brigade, Pale, Istočno Sarajevo |
| Youth wing | Youth SDS |
| Membership | 40,000 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right to right-wing |
| Regional affiliation | Serb Democratic Party (Croatia) Serb Democratic Party (Serbia) |
| Colors |
|
| HoR BiH | 2 / 42 |
| HoP BiH | 1 / 15 |
| NA RS | 11 / 83 |
| Mayors | 10 / 145 |
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Serb Democratic Party (Serbian: Српска демократска странка, СДС, Srpska demokratska stranka, SDS) is a Serb conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded by Radovan Karadžić in 1990, ahead of the first multi-party Bosnian general election.
In the parliamentary elections of October 2006, the SDS lost its status as the leading party in Republika Srpska and the main Serb party in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), led by the president of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik. Despite making minor gains in the 2010 and 2014 elections, by 2018 the party had fallen to below 20% of the parliament, the lowest seat standing in its history.
The party is under sanctions from the United States for "failing to arrest and turn over war crimes suspects to an international tribunal." The sanctions prohibit any transfer of funds and material from the United States to the SDS and vice versa. The party is on the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons by the Office of Foreign Assets Control U.S. agency. To avoid the sanctions, the SDS officials established a separate legal entity called SDS – The Will of the People (Serbian: СДС – Воља народа) in 2020.