Branko Gajin

Branko Gajin (; born 5 November 1958) is a politician in Serbia. He was the mayor of Srbobran from 2004 to 2012 and served in the Assembly of Vojvodina from 2008 to 2011. For much of his time as an elected official, Gajin was not a member of any political party.

Private career Gajin is a lawyer and has been the co-owner of the pharmacy "Eliksir" in Srbobran.

Politician Gajin sought election to the National Assembly of Serbia in the 1990 parliamentary election, running in the division of Temerin and Srbobran with a combined endorsement from the Serbian Renewal Movement and the People's Radical Party. He was defeated by Milan Krčedinac of the Socialist Party of Serbia.

Serbia introduced the direct election of mayors in the 2004 local elections, and Gajin was elected as mayor of Srbobran as an independent candidate, leading a local citizens' group called the "Alliance for Srbobran." He subsequently joined the Democratic Party of Serbia (Demokratska stranka Srbije, DSS), although he resigned his membership in June 2007, citing (among other things) the DSS's delay in forming a government at the republic level.

The direct election of mayors was abandoned after 2004; in all local election cycles since then, mayors have been chosen by the elected members of city and municipal assemblies. Gajin led his independent electoral list to victory in the 2008 local elections with thirteen out of twenty-eight mandates, and he was chosen afterwards for a second term as mayor. He was also elected to the Assembly of Vojvodina in the concurrent 2008 Vojvodina provincial election as an independent candidate in the Srbobran constituency. He resigned from the latter role on 24 October 2011, after restrictions were introduced on holding dual mandates.

Gajin announced an alliance between his movement and the Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS) in Srbobran in 2009. In the 2012 local elections, he sought re-election as mayor at the head of a combined list. The list won a plurality victory with nine mandates, but the Socialist Party (which finished second) was able to form a coalition government with other parties, and Gajin's term as mayor came to an end.

He later left the DS and again led his own list in the 2016 local elections. The list finished in second place with seven mandates; the Serbian Progressive Party won the election and was subsequently able to form a new government. Gajin served in the assembly until 2020 and was not a candidate in that year's municipal election.

Electoral record

Assembly of Vojvodina + 2008 Vojvodina assembly electionSrbobran (constituency seat) – first and second rounds Candidate Party or Coalition Votes % Votes % Branko Gajin Citizens' Group: Branko Gajin 2,947 33.55 3,924 70.70 Goranka Ašćević Serbian Radical Party 1,718 19.56 1,626 29.30 Deže Nemet Hungarian Coalition–István Pásztor 994 11.32 Milan Trifunović Together for Vojvodina-Nenad Čanak 798 9.08 Dušan Mihajlović Citizens' Group: For a Better Srbobran, Turija, and Nadalj–Dušan Mihajlović 668 7.60 Mirko Paroški Democratic Party 517 5.89 Milinko Madžgalj Party: As One House 482 5.49 Zoran Knješko Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)–Party of United Pensioners of Serbia (PUPS) 280 3.19 Sava Pivinčki Liberal Democratic Party 238 2.71 Milan Stanaćev Democratic Party of Serbia–New Serbia–Vojislav Koštunica 142 1.62 Total valid votes 8,784 100 5,550 100 Invalid ballots 297 80 Total votes casts 9,081 64.34 5,630 39.89

Municipality of Srbobran + 2004 Srbobran municipal electionMayor of Srbobran – second round Results Candidate Party or Coalition Votes % Branko Gajin Citizens' Group: Alliance for Our Municipality of Srbobran 3,608 57.72 Bore Kutić Serbian Radical Party–Tomislav Nikolić 2,643 42.48 Total valid votes 6,251 100

National Assembly of Serbia

+ 1990 Serbian parliamentary electionMember for Temerin and Srbobran Candidate Party or Coalition Result Branko Gajin Serbian Renewal Movement/People's Radical Party Borus Janoš Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia for Vojvodina/Association for the Yugoslav Democratic Initiative Milan Krčedinac Socialist Party of Serbia elected Radivoj Kulačin Democratic Party (Davidović-Grol) Slobodan Mandić Citizens' Group Nikola Pilipović Citizens' Group Ištvan Ternovac Democratic Fellowship of Vojvodina Hungarians