How to Pronounce Vojislav Koštunica

Meaning and Context

Vojislav Koštunica is a pivotal Serbian politician and legal scholar whose career defined a crucial transitional period in the Balkans. He served as the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, elected in 2000 after the tumultuous fall of Slobodan Milošević, a victory that marked a significant democratic shift in Serbian politics. Following the state's reconstitution, Koštunica became the Prime Minister of Serbia in 2004, leading a coalition government that navigated complex issues of European integration, Kosovo's status, and economic reform. A founding member of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), he is often characterized as a moderate nationalist and a conservative democrat, whose tenure was marked by a staunch commitment to constitutional legality and a cautious, sovereignty-focused approach to foreign relations. His legacy remains deeply intertwined with post-Milošević Serbia, the dissolution of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and the enduring debates surrounding national identity and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling in both Serbian Latin and English transliteration is Vojislav Koštunica. The most common point of confusion involves the diacritical mark over the 's'. The letter "š" (s with a caron) is pronounced like the "sh" in "shoe," leading to frequent misspellings where it is anglicized as "sh" or simply written as "s". Thus, common incorrect variants include Vojislav Kostunica (dropping the diacritic), Vojislav Koshtunica (attempting a phonetic spelling), and occasionally Vojislav Kostunika (a phonetic and typographical error). His first name is sometimes misspelled as Voyislav or Voislav. In Serbian Cyrillic, the name is correctly written as Војислав Коштуница. When writing in English, the accepted form with the diacritic should be used for accuracy, though many international media outlets historically omitted it.

Example Sentences

Following the 2000 "Bulldozer Revolution," Vojislav Koštunica was inaugurated as the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević.

As Prime Minister of Serbia, Koštunica's government faced intense international pressure over the final status of Kosovo.

Political analysts often describe Vojislav Koštunica's ideology as a form of conservative democracy, skeptical of rapid Western integration.

In his later years, Koštunica became a vocal critic of the European Union's conditions for Serbian membership.

Many biographies highlight Koštunica's role as a unifying opposition figure in the pivotal 2000 election campaign.

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