YUGOSLAVIA: PRE-ELECTION CONVENTION

Описание: (20 Dec 2000) Natural Sound
XFA
The pro-democracy coalition of President Vojislav Kostunica held its final pre-election convention in Belgrade Sava Centre Wednesday.

The Democratic Opposition of Serbia campaign was kept low key and was based on door to door canvassing.

According to the polls the 18-party coalition will get more than 70 percent of the vote in Serbian elections on December 23 for the 250-seat parliament.

Although pinned as the elections' major losers, the Serbian Socialist Party, will likely win enough votes to give its leader, former President Slobodan Milosevic a seat in the assembly.

This will give Milosevic parliamentary immunity making it difficult for the former ruler to be prosecuted at home for war crimes in Kosovo by the international tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

Milosevic was forced to step down after a popular uprising October 5, triggered by his refusal to acknowledge defeat in presidential elections.

In the country's major shift to democracy, Kostunica replaced Milosevic.

Saturday's vote is seen as important because it will give Kostunica a chance to remove the last remains of Milosevic's power base in Serbia.

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