Parliament Boots Kostunica Loyalists

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - Serbia's ruling coalition moved to oust all 45 members of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica's party from parliament Monday, the latest threat to Yugoslavia's political stability.

On Friday, the coalition removed Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia from its ranks, saying it didn't support the Serbian government and tarnished the coalition's reputation.

The latest move was certain to worsen the feud between Kostunica and rival Zoran Djindjic, the prime minister of Serbia, Yugoslavia's main republic. The other is Montenegro.

Kostunica and Djindjic united in 2000 to oust former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic but have been at odds for most of the time since.

Cedomir Jovanovic, a key Djindjic ally, said the 17-member ruling coalition decided to strip the Kostunica backers of their mandates ``because of violations of the coalition agreement.''

Representatives of Kostunica's party were not immediately available for comment, but the 45 lawmakers could appeal Monday's decision to the Constitutional Court.

Last month, the coalition tried to remove 21 lawmakers belonging to Kostunica's party. The Constitutional Court reversed that decision last week.

Recent polls show an almost even split in support for Kostunica and Djindjic, but a showdown is expected in September in a vote for a new president of Serbia.

Kostunica has suggested he might run - his present post might be eliminated after Yugoslavia is formally replaced by a new country called Serbia and Montenegro. Djindjic's camp is likely to endorse a popular economic expert.

The 17 remaining parties in the ruling coalition were expected to divide the vacant seats among themselves. The coalition ran as a single group in the 2000 elections, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia.

What's up with this? I thought Djindjic was suppose to support the ideology of democracy? What a crock of shit.

1 posted on 07/30/2002 7:43:30 AM PDT by FireWall

2 posted on 07/30/2002 7:43:50 AM PDT by FireWall

3 posted on 07/30/2002 7:46:00 AM PDT by Red Jones

What did I hear on Michael Savage last night about an attempt from Bosnia to shoot down a plane that Kostunica was flying in? I was falling asleep as I said it, but I think he said the Russian press reported it. Anybody know anything about the story?

4 posted on 07/30/2002 8:13:25 AM PDT by aristeides

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