UNMIK ON AIR

6^th October 2003

SERBIA SEEKS NEW PRESIDENT

(By Zoran Culafic)

Political parties in Serbia have a long history of quarrelling over issues – the latest concerns the election of a new president, to replace former president Milan Milutinovic, who has been in the Hague, awaiting trial since the beginning of the year.

Since then, Serbia has been headed by acting president Natasa Micic, who is also the speaker of the Serbian Parliament.

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR with Sputnik Kilambi and Martin Redi

Opposition parties have had much experience calling for new presidential elections, but until recently, elections were not on the agenda of the ruling DOS coalition in Serbia.

Two rounds of presidential elections last year ended in a fiasco, after pitting the two main candidates, Vojislav Kostunica from the DSS party and Miroljub Labus from G17 plus in a fierce, free for all battle.

Today both men are in the opposition block and strongly opposed to the holding of fresh elections. Petar Lukovic, editor at the Belgrade based TV Pink, believes that Kostunica and Labus are playing the wrong political cards.

Petar Lukovic: I’d like to remind all those opposition leaders, who are now refusing to participate in presidential elections, that they personally were requesting presidential elections for months. So, it was always the question – when will the elections be held, why are they not scheduled and now, when we have it, something is still not suitable for them.

Many analysts have suggested the scheduling of presidential elections is aimed at diverting media attention from the scandals and political affairs, which have damaged the pro-reformist image of the Government of Serbia.

Ljiljana Smajlovic writes for the Belgrade weekly Nin.

Ljiljana Smajlovic: I think that the authorities have scheduled presidential elections just to keep the public occupied with something else and not with scandals and corruption affairs, which are hitting the government. But there is no doubt that the presidential elections are in accordance with the Constitution. It should have been held six months ago, but authorities are scheduling it now because it fits their needs.

On the other hand, says Zoran Miljatovic, an editor at the Nedeljni Telegraf newspaper, there is no doubt that Serbia needs a stable, political situation, so it’s necessary to have a successful presidential election. This has nothing to do with the promotion of political parties on a daily basis, he stresses, it’s simply an issue of normal state functioning.

Zoran Miljatovic: particularly when you consider that we are faced with sensitive negotiations with the Kosovo delegation about vital issues in Kosovo. So, the state must be strong enough to fully participate in such talks.

Many analysts in Belgrade think that Serbia cannot afford another failed election. They see the candidate Dragolub Micunovic as a positive option for these elections, stressing the only fact that he was not mixed in any of the political clashes and that he didn’t compromise himself in any affair for the last three years.

Whatever the outcome of these polls would be, they are sure to have some impact on the upcoming dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade.

Liljiana Smajlovic: I think that everything in Serbia has some link with what will happen in Kosovo. I’m referring here to the international position of Serbia, it is obvious that the issue of whether Serbia respects the rule of law or not has a certain impact on Kosovo, particularly on these regions populated by Serbs.

Only few analysts in Belgrade dare to make predictions about the outcome of the elections. Many think that voters will stay at home because they are tired of political games. For Petar Lukovic, it wont be any great tragedy if the elections fail.

Petar Lukovic: Serbia was without a president for a year and nothing awful happened there was no earthquake or anything we have managed to live without a president somehow but it’d be nice to elect a president, it’d be in accordance with the law If not, the world will continue anyway. So, we have to remain realistic – whoever wants to participate in the elections should do so.

For his part, Zoran Miljatovic says Serbia cannot afford another failed election, but he too is not optimistic.

Zoran Miljatovic: There are small chances that the elections will be successful given the strength of the anti campaign. There is a real danger that we will spend practically the whole of next year in elections – presidential, parliamentary and local. So it is more than probable that the citizens of Serbia will spend next year more at the polling stations than at their workplaces.

That was Zoran Miljatovic from the Nedeljni Telegraf newspaper closing this edition of UNMIK on Air. Thanks for listening.