Draskovic has led the SPO since its establishment in 1990. Addressing party members, he said that the SPO had to change and become part of Europe, after which the convention adopted a declaration on a European Serbia, which states, among other things, that "Serbia's most important national interest is to remove all obstacles on the European road".
One of the former party vice-presidents and incumbent vice president of the Serbian parliament, Vojislav Mihailovic, the grandson of Chetnik war criminal Dragoljub Draza Mihailovic, told the meeting at Ravna Gora that the new party to be established by party dissidents would be a centre-right party.
Velimir Ilic, Serbian Minister for Capital Investment and leader of the New Serbia party, which is in a coalition with the SPO in the Serbian government, also addressed the meeting at Ravna Gora, speaking critically of Draskovic's policy. It is still not known whether the renegade faction of the SPO would leave the ruling coalition, which would threaten the survival of the minority government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.
The meeting of SPO dissidents at Ravna Gora saw a display of Draza Mihailovic's posters and Chetnik flags, with participants chanting Chetnik songs.
Supporters and members of the SPO will mark the 60th anniversary of victory over fascism at Ravna Gora, the cradle of Draza Mihailovic's Chetnik movement, on Sunday, when they will recall the Chetnik movement's contribution to the antifascist struggle, according to organisers.
This is the first time since 1991, when such gatherings started at Ravna Gora, that Serbian state authorities are among the organisers.