Bogoljub Karić
Bogoljub Karić (Serbian Cyrillic: Богољуб Карић, born 17 January 1954 in Peć, FPR Yugoslavia), pronounced [boɡoʎub kaːritɕ]) is a Serbian businessman and politician.
Biography
Early life
Bogoljub was born to Janićije Karić and Danica Kuzmanović. He earned a degree in Geography at the University of Pristina and his Master's Degree in economy at University of Niš. He married Milanka Babić and has four children. Nebojsa, Nadezda, Jelena and Danica Karic.
Career
The Karić family claim to have owned manufacturing business in Eastern Europe since the 1960s. The population knows him simply as a mechanic from Kosovo without a degree. He opened a workshop, starting with small operations of under ten employees. From this, Karić grew his business empire into multibillion-dollar corporation, now known as the Astra Group.
The Astra (BK) Group is composed of the following industry sectors:
- manufacturing, civil engineering and constructing
- International wholesales export-import trading
- Telecommunications and electronic media (GSM and NMT mobile telephony, internet services, alphanumeric paging, BK Telecom TV station)
- Banking and finance
- Media which includes television, radio, magazines, newspapers and online
- Science and education Karić is the founder and owner of BK University.
- Charitable activities The BK Foundation funds humanitarian aid in Yugoslavia and other countries. It is focused on helping children, refugees and provides scholarships for disadvantaged and talented students. The activities of the Foundation are also centred on the promotion of cultural values.
In 2002, Karić created the Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Yugoslavia, the first true association of private businessmen in Yugoslavia set up since World War II.
Education and science work
Karić has been a visiting professor in several faculties he run in the country and abroad. Many of these lectures are published in various magazines he owned. He is author of many books which focus on private business, finance, and financial management which were written by bachelor and master students at his own universities.
Political and social activities
Karić ran for President of Serbia in the June 2004 Presidential Election, polling nearly 20% of the vote. His message was on the supremacy of economy over politics, the need to fundamentally transform Serbian society into a modern European democracy and revitalise its economy.
Karić subsequently formed and registered his political party Strength of Serbia Movement (SSM) which participated in the local elections of September 2004. At these elections, the SSM, although formed barely a month before the elections, had a surprisingly good showing, established itself firmly in the center of the democratic bloc of political forces in Serbia. Its representatives, in coalition with other democratic forces were part of many municipal councils (including that of the capital Belgrade), and it had several deputies and ministers in the Provincial Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
As a new law on political parties became valid, Strength of Serbia Movement re-registered itself again in 2010 under the name Strength of Serbia Movement - BK. At that moment, SSM was in coalition with Tomislav Nikolic's party, forming an opposition bloc for the next elections.
References
External links
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