Former Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dačić, YU1YU, was elected as that country’s newest Prime Minister on July 27. He succeeds Mirko Cvetković, who served as Serbia’s Prime Minister from 2008-2012. Dačić is the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia; from 2008 until his election as Prime Minister, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Internal Affairs. In March 2012, Serbia became a candidate for membership in the European Union (EU).

Dačić is a member of the Amateur Radio Union of Serbia (SRS), Serbia’s IARU Member-Society and is said to be a member of his local club, YU1AAV. The club was founded in 1978 as one of nine sections of the Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) Amateur Radio Club, YU1FJK. According to its website, YU1AAV’s primary goal has been to teach kids Morse code and Amateur Radio Direction Finding skills: “The 1990s brought us war, sanctions and social crises, but it also brought the good opportunity to move kids from the streets to learn ham radio. These were the years when the most kids from neighborhood finished the course to get their basic ham license.”

Prior to his election as Prime Minister, Dačić served as the spokesman for the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) from 1992-2000; he has served as president of the SPS since December 2006. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Belgrade. Fluent in both Russian and English, Dačić is 46, married and the father of two children.