Who is Milutin Mrkonjić

Milutin Mrkonjić was a Serbian politician and graduate civil engineer, one of the founders of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and a longtime public figure in Serbian politics from the second half of the twentieth century until his death in 2021. Over a career spanning several decades, he held numerous state and party positions, from minister in the governments of the SFRY and FRY, through Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, to Minister of Infrastructure and Minister of Transport of Serbia. Milutin Mrkonjić is also remembered for his close ties to the family of Slobodan Milošević, as well as for his long-standing engagement in the planning and construction of transport infrastructure.

Early Life and Childhood

Milutin Mrkonjić was born on May 23, 1942, in Belgrade, at a time when the city was under German occupation. His father, Petar, came from the village of Bojna, near Glina, in the Banija region, from a family of Croatian Serbs, while his mother, Marija, was from Belgrade. Milutin had an older sister, Nada, who was two years older than him.He spent his childhood in Belgrade, during the period of the country's reconstruction after the Second World War. As a young man, he was active in sports and trained in basketball at the club Radnički, in the Crveni krst neighborhood. In later interviews, he described this time as a period when he and his peers, whom he called "the crusaders," spent their free time at the "Avala" cinema and the Belgrade Drama Theatre, reading available literature and socializing within a close circle of friends from the neighborhood.

Education

Milutin Mrkonjić received his elementary and secondary education in his native Belgrade. After finishing secondary school, he enrolled at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade, choosing the department for roads, airports, and railways. He graduated in 1971, earning the title of graduate civil engineer (some sources also cite 1968 as his graduation year, so this information differs from source to source).This choice of education also determined his future professional path, as his entire early career was spent in the field of designing and building infrastructure, roads, and railway facilities, and the knowledge he gained at university he later applied as a manager of major infrastructure projects.

Beginning of His Career

After graduating, Mrkonjić got his first job at the Bureau for Railway Studies and Design, where he worked until 1974. During this period, he gained practical experience in planning and implementing infrastructure projects, which formed the foundation for his further professional development.In 1974, he became head of the Design Sector, and in 1977 he moved to the Center for Research and Design, where he eventually rose to the position of director. Under his leadership, this organization merged in 1986 with the Design Institute of the Community of Yugoslav Railways, and the following year also with the Transport Institute, forming a single enterprise known as the Transport Institute CIP. For decades, this institution has been one of the leading professional organizations in the field of transport infrastructure planning in Serbia, and Mrkonjić built his reputation there as an expert in major infrastructure projects.Alongside his professional rise in the field, Mrkonjić began to engage politically within the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, which served as an introduction to his later, far more intensive political career.

Rise to Prominence

The turning point in Milutin Mrkonjić's political career was the founding of the Socialist Party of Serbia, of which he was one of the founders, together with Slobodan Milošević. During the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he held a ministerial position for the first time in the government led by Prime Minister Branko Mikulić.His second ministerial term followed in 1992, when, in the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Prime Minister Milan Panić, he took over as Minister of Transport and Communications. Mrkonjić later, describing these episodes, stated that he had voluntarily stepped down from both terms, explaining that, as he put it, "building" suited his nature better than the administrative role of a minister.After the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, he was appointed head of Serbia's reconstruction, as a government representative, entrusted with the task of coordinating the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed across the country. In the years that followed, he also served as an advisor to businessman Bogoljub Karić, and in 2004 took over as head of the company "Braća Karić."

Greatest Achievements

Milutin Mrkonjić's political career reached its peak in the second half of the 2000s and during the 2010s. In December 2006, he was elected vice president of the Socialist Party of Serbia, a position he retained after re-election in December 2010, and he was also a member of the party's presidency.In 2007, he was elected a member of parliament in the Assembly of Serbia, and from May 8 of that year he also served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. After then-Speaker of the Assembly Tomislav Nikolić resigned, Mrkonjić, as the oldest among the deputy speakers, temporarily took over chairing the Assembly's sessions, until the election of a new speaker, Oliver Dulić, on May 23, 2007. On May 15, 2007, the Government of the Republic of Serbia at the time also took its oath of office before Mrkonjić.In the January 2008 presidential election, Mrkonjić ran on behalf of the SPS and won around six percent of the vote. That same year, following the formation of a coalition government between the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party of Serbia, led by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, he was appointed Minister of Infrastructure. He held this position until 2012, and from March 2011 his portfolio also came to include energy.Following the May 2012 elections, in the newly formed Government of the Republic of Serbia, he took over as Minister of Transport, a position he held until a government reshuffle completed on September 2, 2013, when he was replaced in that role by fellow party member Aleksandar Antić. That same year, by a decision of the party leadership, he was removed from his ministerial position, and in August 2013 he once again took his oath as a member of parliament in the National Assembly. From 2014, he served as chairman of the Committee on Spatial Planning, Transport, Infrastructure and Telecommunications. He later also held the title of honorary president of the Socialist Party of Serbia, whose president at the time was Ivica Dačić.During negotiations over the formation of Serbia's government in 2012, more than 10,000 citizens, through a petition organized by the Istinomer organization, expressed opposition to his reappointment as minister, considering him one of the least accountable politicians in Serbia when it came to the implementation of infrastructure projects. Despite this, then-Prime Minister Ivica Dačić nonetheless appointed him Minister of Transport in his government.

Private Life

Milutin Mrkonjić was married for decades to Dragana "Daša" Mrkonjić, who worked for many years as a lawyer, and later as a judge, and who was an influential figure in legal circles. Their marriage, according to statements from his wife Dragana, lasted for decades, and in one of her rare public statements she said that, despite rumors of his extramarital relationships, they had remained in a harmonious marriage.According to media reports, from 2012 until his death, Mrkonjić was in a relationship with well-known Serbian singer Ana Bekuta. According to available information, he never officially divorced his wife Dragana, and publicly stated that he maintained good relationships with both women until the end of his life. It is not publicly known whether Milutin Mrkonjić had children.Mrkonjić remained close to the family of Slobodan Milošević throughout his life. He was one of the few SPS members who maintained contact with Mirjana Marković even after her departure to Russia, and, instead of then-SPS leader Ivica Dačić, regularly laid a wreath at Slobodan Milošević's grave in Požarevac. He also launched an initiative to erect a monument to Milošević in Belgrade, which officially entered the procedural process of the Belgrade City Assembly, but was never brought up for a final decision.Due to health problems, Milutin Mrkonjić withdrew almost entirely from public life during 2021. In August of that year, he underwent heart valve surgery, performed using a new method, via the groin. In early November 2021, he had a pacemaker fitted, and in mid-November, due to further cardiovascular problems, he was hospitalized at the "Dedinje" Cardiovascular Institute in Belgrade. Despite the doctors' efforts, he died on November 27, 2021, at the age of 79, at that same institute. He was buried on December 2, 2021, in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at Belgrade's New Cemetery, in the family tomb he had purchased during his lifetime together with his wife, Dragana.

Trivia

In his youth, Milutin Mrkonjić trained in basketball at the club Radnički, in Belgrade's Crveni krst neighborhood. He voluntarily resigned from both of his earlier ministerial terms, during the SFRY and FRY periods, explaining that practical work building infrastructure suited him better than the administrative role of a minister. He was known for publicly stating that he considered Slobodan Milošević to have died under circumstances he described as suspicious during the trial before the Hague Tribunal. For years, he was one of the few SPS officials who maintained contact with Mirjana Marković after she left the country. During his lifetime, together with his wife, Dragana, he purchased a family tomb at Belgrade's New Cemetery and expressed a wish to be buried in accordance with his communist beliefs. He was publicly known by the nickname "Mrka."

Awards and Recognition

Publicly available sources do not list any official state decorations or international awards given to Milutin Mrkonjić. His most significant recognition within politics was the trust placed in him by the party through his election as vice president, and later honorary president, of the Socialist Party of Serbia, as well as the repeated trust of voters who elected him as a member of parliament in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

Legacy and Influence

Milutin Mrkonjić is remembered as one of the founders of the Socialist Party of Serbia and as a political figure who left his mark on several decades of the Serbian political scene, from the SFRY period, through the 1990s, and into the second decade of the twenty-first century. His professional work in the field of transport infrastructure design left a mark through institutions such as the Transport Institute CIP, while his political role, particularly in the positions of Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, was the subject of numerous public debates about the efficiency of implementing infrastructure projects in Serbia.His long-standing closeness to the family of Slobodan Milošević, and his public statements about that period of Serbian history, make him, even today, one of the figures cited in discussions of the political legacy of the 1990s. Colleagues from the SPS, such as Ivica Dačić, as well as associates from his time working in the profession, have often described him as a man dedicated to building infrastructure and loyal to his party's convictions until the end of his life.

Biography — Frequently Asked Questions

When was Milutin Mrkonjić born?

Milutin Mrkonjić was born on May 23, 1942, in Belgrade.

When and where did Milutin Mrkonjić die?

He died on November 27, 2021, in Belgrade, at the "Dedinje" Cardiovascular Institute, following health problems during that year.

What did Milutin Mrkonjić die of?

He died from cardiovascular problems, following heart valve surgery in August and the fitting of a pacemaker in early November 2021.

Where is Milutin Mrkonjić buried?

He was buried on December 2, 2021, in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at Belgrade's New Cemetery.

Which university did Milutin Mrkonjić graduate from?

He graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade, in the department for roads, airports, and railways.

What ministerial positions did Milutin Mrkonjić hold?

He was a minister in the governments of the SFRY and FRY, and in the Republic of Serbia he served as Minister of Infrastructure (2008–2012) and Minister of Transport (2012–2013).

Was Milutin Mrkonjić one of the founders of the SPS?

Yes, he was one of the founders of the Socialist Party of Serbia, together with Slobodan Milošević, and later also served as its honorary president.

Who was Milutin Mrkonjić in a relationship with?

He was married to Dragana "Daša" Mrkonjić, and, from 2012, according to media reports, was in a relationship with singer Ana Bekuta.

Was Milutin Mrkonjić Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly?

Yes, he served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia from May 2007.

Who succeeded Milutin Mrkonjić as Minister of Transport?

He was succeeded as Minister of Transport by fellow party member Aleksandar Antić, in 2013.

Conclusion

Milutin Mrkonjić represents one of the recognizable figures of Serbian politics in the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first century. From a graduate civil engineer who built his career in the field of transport infrastructure design, through one of the founders of the Socialist Party of Serbia, to Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and Deputy Speaker of Serbia's National Assembly, his life path reflects the turbulent history of Serbian politics during the SFRY period, the 1990s, and the transitional period after 2000. He died on November 27, 2021, in Belgrade, leaving behind a complex political legacy that is still cited today in public debates about contemporary Serbian history.