Founded after the multi-party system was introduced in Serbia in late 1989, the DS split after its first president, Dragoljub Micunovic, was defeated by Djindjic during a party election in 1994.
Osnovana posle uvođenja višestranačkog sistema u Srbiji krajem 1989. godine, DS se pocepala nakon što je njenog prvog predsednika Dragoljuba Mićunovića na stranačkim izvorima 1994. godine porazio Zoran Đinđić.