The Hindu : Serb polls: Majority eludes ultra-nationalists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2003

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International

Serb polls: Majority eludes ultra-nationalists

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS DEC. 29. The ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) — who are opposed to the Liberal Democrat-initiated reforms — allied to the former Serbian strongman leader, Slobodan Milosevic, has emerged leading in the crucial parliamentary elections late last night. However, they have failed to gain a majority needed to govern on their own.

The result is a setback for reformers as they suffered their biggest setback since forcing Mr. Milosevic out of power in 2000.

It is ironical to note that both Mr. Milosevic and his ultra-nationalist ally, Vojislav Seselj, have scored an impressive electoral victory while they are detained and being held for trial at The Hague, allegedly for war crimes.

Two other indicted war crime suspects from other parties were also running for parliamentary seats. The War Crimes Tribunal has emerged as an unpopular institution in Serbia since it has also demanded extradition of four more suspects, for alleged war crimes against the Muslim population in the Balkan region under Serbian influence.

The centre-right nationalist parties are likely to provide a robust Opposition, as they are overtly and passionately disdainful of the U.S. and the E.U. Hence, there is much uncertainty about the final election result, but the unofficial poll results show reformers had won 59 per cent of parliamentary seats and technically enough to form a broad ruling coalition with a reformist agenda.

The winners are poised to occupy more than 100 of the 250 seats and hence will need to seek the help of other parties to form government.

The ruling political class is mired in crises of legitimacy with corruption rampant and big question marks about efficient and transparent governance.

Kosovo is de facto an international protectorate but legally remains part of Serbia. The union arrangement is to remain in place for a minimum of three years after which the two republics will decide whether to keep or scrap it.

The Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, was proclaimed in 1945. Under Tito, the lid was kept on ethnic tensions. The federation lasted for over 10 years after his death in 1980 but under Mr. Milosevic it fell apart in bloodshed through the 1990s. In 1998, violence flared in the autonomous province of Kosovo in Serbia.

The Kosovo Liberation Army, supported by the majority ethnic Albanians, came out in open rebellion against Serbian rule.

Amid escalating violence, international pressure grew on Mr. Milosevic and NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia in March 1999.

The country was thrown into turmoil just weeks after coming into existence when the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, who spearheaded reforms, was assassinated.

Djindjic was the prime mover in the handing over of Mr. Milosevic to The Hague Tribunal. The authorities blamed organised criminal groups with links to Mr. Milosevic for his killing.

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