Tomislav Nikolić

Early Life and Education

Tomislav Nikolić was born on 15 February 1952 in Kragujevac, SFR Yugoslavia (now Serbia). His father, Radomir, worked as a gunsmith at a factory, while his mother, Živadinka Djoković, was a housewife.

Nikolić graduated from the construction department of the technical school in Kragujevac, receiving a degree in civil engineering. He then attempted to enter the law faculty but dropped out.

Career

In 1971, Nikolić interrupted his studies and began working at a local construction company. He was involved in various infrastructure projects, including building roads, tunnels, and the Belgrade-Bar railway line.

Until September 7, 2008, he served as the deputy chairman of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), which he effectively led due to the absence of its chairman, Vojislav Šešelj, who was at The Hague Tribunal. From 2008 to 2012, Nikolić was the leader of the conservative Serbian Progressive Party.

Presidency

On May 20, 2012, Nikolić was elected President of Serbia in the second round, serving from May 31, 2012, to May 31, 2017.

References

Note: The references for this article are not provided in the source snippets. If you provide them, I can include them in the final output.