Mihalj Kertes
| Mihalj Kertes | |
|---|---|
| Minister without portfolio | |
|
In office 14 July 1993 – 18 March 1994 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Vekoslav Šošević |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 August 1947 Bačka Palanka, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia) |
| Nationality | Yugoslav, Serbian |
| Political party |
League of Communists of Yugoslavia (1974–1990) |
| Spouse(s) | Mira |
| Children | two |
League of Communists of Yugoslavia (1974–1990)
Mihalj Kertes (Serbian Cyrillic: Михаљ Кертес, Hungarian: Kertész Mihály, born 29 August 1947), nicknamed "Braca" or "Bracika", was a Yugoslav Serbian politician, minister, close associate and man of trust of President of FR Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević. An ethnic Hungarian, member of the Communist Party since 1974, he became a supporter of Milošević in the late 1980s. As long-time director of Federal Customs Bureau of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Kertes provided logistic and financial support for various undercover government operations. During the 2000s, after the 5 October, Kertes was sentenced, tried or acted as a witness in several trials.
Kertes was born in Bačka Palanka to father Mihalj, a tailor and mother Olga, a housewife. He completed the primary and middle school, as well as the High School of Management (major of social work) in his hometown. He started working as a clerk for social work in municipal administration, became a member of League of Communists of Yugoslavia in 1974, and his local career progressed to the level of secretary of municipal committee of the Communist League, in 1986. During the party's transformation into the Socialist Party of Serbia, Kertes became a supporter of Milošević's policy.
Kertes became a prominent figure when, during the anti-bureaucratic revolution in support of Milošević's politics, he initiated the protests in Bačka Palanka and led the protesters to Novi Sad, the capital of SAP Vojvodina. The event, known as the "Yogurt revolution", led to resign of the provincial leadership and installation of loyals to Milošević. His statement "How can you Serbs be afraid of Serbia when I, a Hungarian, am not afraid of Serbia?", made him particularly famous. Due to that role, he progressed to Serbian presidency membership, and was in 1990 elected to the Assembly of Serbia as a MP for the Grocka—Belgrade suburb, considered controversial as he had not lived there.
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