Former Serbian minister Nebojsa Stefanovic makes rare appearance at ruling SNS leadership meeting

The meeting, held at Belgrade's MTS Hall, was attended by senior SNS officials. Party president Miloš Vučević said the venue was full, while a photograph published on Facebook by SNS lawmaker Nebojša Bakarec showed Stefanović among those present.

Once one of Vucic's closest associates

Stefanovic was one of President Aleksandar Vucic's closest political allies during the SNS's rise to power after Tomislav Nikolic won the Serbian presidential election in 2012.

He served as speaker of parliament from 2012 to 2014 before becoming interior minister, a position he held until 2020. He then became defence minister, replacing Aleksandar Vulin, and remained in office until 2022.

Since then, Stefanovic has made few public appearances.

Sidelined after reported rift

His disappearance from frontline politics followed reports of deteriorating relations with Vucic.

In May 2021, local SNS party branches across Serbia backed proposals to remove Stefanovic as head of the party's Belgrade organisation and called for his dismissal from public office. Although he did not resign immediately, he was effectively sidelined within the party and did not return to government after the 2022 elections.

The reported split came after Vucic disclosed in early 2021 that he had been illegally wiretapped. In the months that followed, pro-government media questioned whether Stefanovic, then interior minister, bore political responsibility. He was also publicly criticised by SNS official Vladimir Djukanovic.

Neither Vucic nor Stefanovic publicly explained whether their relationship broke down or, if it did, what caused it.

Controversies

Stefanovic's name has featured in several controversies over the years.

Former Montenegrin chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnic testified before the Higher Court in Podgorica that Serbia's Security Information Agency (BIA) had cooperated with the Kavac organised crime group. Katnic also claimed that the conflict between the rival Kavac and Skaljari clans escalated after the alleged political fallout between Vucic and Stefanovic. Those allegations have not been established in court.

Separately, investigative outlet BIRN reported in 2018 that Stefanovic's father had acted as an intermediary in arms sales involving Serbia's state-owned Krusik weapons factory and buyers from Saudi Arabia. Stefanovic denied any wrongdoing.

Stefanovic's appearance at Saturday's SNS Main Board meeting marks one of his most visible public appearances since leaving government in 2022.