Born in Golubić, a village near Knin, Ponoš later moved to Zagreb, where he spent most of his youth and obtained a degree in electronic engineering.

Ponoš then acquired a position at the Ministry of Defense, where he served as an advisor to multiple ministers, including future president Boris Tadić.

As chief of the General Staff, Ponoš worked on army reforms and professionalisation, though this process stagnated in late 2008 due to a conflict with defense minister Dragan Šutanovac, which led to his dismissal in December 2008.

Their cooperation continued after 2012, and Ponoš served as chief of Jeremić's cabinet during his mandate as president of the UN General Assembly.

After returning from the United States, they formed the Center for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development, with Ponoš initially serving as executive director and later as a senior advisor.

Ponoš entered politics in 2017 after participating in Jeremić's campaign team during the presidential election, and later that year, they founded the People's Party.

He was a vice-president of the party until November 2021 and was the nominee of the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition in the 2022 Serbian presidential election, in which he placed second.

He also criticised Aleksandar Vučić and the government's approach towards foreign relations and military.Zdravko Ponoš was born on 3 November 1962 in Golubić, a village near Knin, in the SR Croatia, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.

[5] He finished his postgraduate studies in 1999 at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Electrical Engineering, with a master's degree in Global Navigation Systems.

[2][5] During his time at the University of Belgrade, he published his work regarding Global Navigation Systems in a notable Japanese magazine.

[4] During that time, he worked on jamming TV Tirana broadcasts in Kosovo, later stating that "the job was rather futile, but the army did not assign those tasks themselves".

[4][6] During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, he and his team used methods of detecting aircraft flying overhead to prevent greater losses, especially in AP Kosovo and Metohija.

[4] Following the bombing, Ponoš was awarded the Order of Merit in the Field of Defense and Security by Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević.

[9][10] His appointment was described by academics as "a package for faster access to European integration" due to his status as a pro-Western general.

[16] Later in December, Ponoš and Šutanovac stayed for several days near administrative lines with Kosovo to observe the situation, which they later stated to be "peaceful" and that "destabilization in this part of Serbia would not be expected to occur".

[24] Tadić then decided to side with Šutanovac in this conflict, and he dismissed Ponoš on 30 December, after alleging that he had violating military rules.

[29] Radio Free Europe journalist Branka Mihajlović had considered the conflict to be a "political showdown within the Democratic Party".

[33] Ponoš declassified parts of the transcripts from the sessions of the collegium of the chief of the General Staff revealing that Slobodan Milošević and later, to a lesser extent, Vojislav Koštunica, planned to use the army for political purposes, especially in Montenegro.

[34] During his time as chief of the General Staff, the army held highest approval ratings according to the Serbian public.

[38] His interest into politics developed while he was reading the newspaper Borba,[6] and during his time at the army in the 1990s, he opposed the regime of Slobodan Milošević.

[6] After coming back to Belgrade, Ponoš and Jeremić founded the Center for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (CIRSD).

[‡ 1][‡ 2] After his army and diplomatic careers, Ponoš entered politics in 2017, and participated in Jeremić's campaign team during the 2017 presidential election.

[48] Ponoš supported the formation of a wider coalition for the 2018 Belgrade City Assembly election that would be composed of opposition parties.

[70] Sanda Rašković Ivić, one of the vice-presidents of the People's Party, condemned the attacks that were done by pro-government media and MPs on Ponoš.

[108][109] Ponoš has described his political views as a mix of civic and national issues,[110] and has stated his support for constitutionalism,[111][112] and social justice.

[113] He has also stated that "civil partnerships should not be called same-sex marriage" and had assessed that "people who live in such a community should receive same rights as everyone else", but he had also emphasised that he is against LGBT adoption.

[117] He has also argued that "instead of introducing mandatory conscriptions, they should raise salaries for officers in the army", and has accused the government of abusing the police during electoral campaigns.

[118][119] Ponoš has called for the military leadership to resist the use of the army for political purposes, and has accused the government of being made up of "incompetent politicians are playing with the defense system".

[126] He had previously supported the so-called "four pillars" of Serbian foreign policy, in which he also included European integration, Kosovo, and regional cooperation; the "four pillars" of Serbian foreign policy, a term coined by former president Tadić, included free trade agreements with the European Union, Russia, United States, and China.

[2] His hobbies include studying history, music, films, football, and cartoons; Ponoš is a fan of The Simpsons animated sitcom.