[Voronin]

SUC news:

BELGRADE, Dec. 8 (Beta) - The Center for Free Elections and Democracy said on Dec. 8 that 2,950,000 voters had voted in the Serbian presidential election held the same day, which was 45.2 percent of registered voters.

Citing preliminary results, the center declared the election a failure. It added that Vojislav Kostunica, running for the Democratic Party of Serbia, had received 1,700,000 votes or 57.5 percent of the total.

Vojislav Seselj of the Serbian Radical Party had 1,070,000 votes, or 36.3 percent. Only 105,000 people, 3.6 percent, voted for Borislav Pelevic of the Party of Serb Unity.

Serbian Legislature Speaker Natasa Micic will become acting president when incumbent President Milan Milutinovic's term expires on Jan. 5. Milutinovic was once a close associate of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

A new election has to be called within 60 days. On Dec. 8, Micic pledged to do a conscientious job and uphold the constitution if the election failed.

And for persons (like myself) who did not realize that the election law had actually been changed:

...The election will be held under the new law on presidential elections, adopted by the Serbian parliament on Nov 5, 2002. The law scraps the 50 percent plus one voter turnout requirement in the potential runoff, but keeps it in place for the first round...

VRN

[kosta50]

Re: #14 Voronin, this is old news. The bottom line is: Djindjich played Koshtunitsa and exposed him to the public as a court jester, a joke(r). Djindjich used Koshtunitsa when he needed him, knowing all too well that the PM, not the president, would call all the shots. The fool took the bait. First he slam-dunked him when he arrestsed Miloshevich, then again when he sent hhim to the hague. Following that, Djindjich used a series of scandals to make Koshtunitsa appear weak and indecisive -- which he is -- until Djindjich blatanalt, and in violation of the DOS agreement, kicked all of DSS (Koshtuintsa's party) elected members of the coalition out of the Parliament and replaced them with his cronies.

Koshtunitsa responded each time by appealing to the courts (!). He is dealing with a thug, and he is "telling on him." What a joke. Koshtunitsa may be the best choice -- but not for Serbia. Serbia doesn't know what democracy is; doesn't care and doesn't deserve it.

Now the situaiton is like this: Koshtunitsa was appointed as a PM. Thus Serbia has a very unpopular politician wjo could never get a job by being elected. And he holds all the executive power in Serbia! Now, after having played Koshtuintsa, he will use the majority in the Parliament that he has to change the law -- so the parliament would elect the president of the country. But since he will appoint his own crony for that ceremonial job, the circus will be complete: appointed prime minister appoints the president who in turn appoints prime ministers...democracy at work.

It is also notable that Djindjich did not bother to change the Serbian Constitution enacted during Miloshevich's regime. One crook should know how good the other crook had it made.

Serbs are political illiterati. They have done this to themselves. They throw hands up in the air and bitch. God helps those who help themselves. I think Serbs deserve the Darwin award of the year for national self-destrcution (exctinction).