of numerical order. Ivković appeared in the sixty-fifth position on the SPS's list, which was mostly arranged in alphabetical order. The list won thirty-seven seats, and he was chosen as part of his party's delegation. When the new parliament convened in January 2001, he became the leader of the SPS's assembly group. The DOS won a landslide majority victory with 176 out of 250 seats, and the SPS served in opposition. Ivković was initially seen as a close associate of Slobodan Milošević in this period. On 7 March 2001, he said that he had recently visited Miloševič and described the former president as being in good spirits despite reports that he would soon be arrested on suspicion of war crimes. On 31 March, he played a crucial role in negotiating for Milošević to submit to an arrest warrant, bringing an end to an armed standoff at his mansion. When rumours circulated about Milošević's pending extradition to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague in June, Ivković spoke at a protest outside the Yugoslavian parliament building. According to a report in the British newspaper The Independent, Milošević turned against Ivković the following month, describing him as a "traitor" who knew that his extradition was imminent but did nothing to prevent it. Ivković acknowledged being in conflict with Milošević's wife Mirjana Marković during this period, although he said in August 2001 that their disagreements had been resolved and denied reports of a broader division in the party. He was not, at this time, removed from his role in the party leadership. In early 2001, Ivković was investigated on suspicion of having directed funds from the ministry of science and technology to the SPS while he was a cabinet minister. He was also accused of illegally distributing several state apartments. He rejected the charges and said that he would not invoke parliamentary immunity. (His immunity was, in any event, removed in October 2001). SPS split and Socialist People's Party leader (2002–2004) The SPS split in early 2002, with several party members accusing Ivković of co-operating with Serbia's DOS administration and attempting a party takeover. Milošević openly turned against him at this time, accusing him of overseeing a "fifth column" bid to lead others away from the party. In April 2002, Ivković was formally expelled from the SPS. He rejected the legality of his expulsion and organized a congress