Boycott called; public apathy threatens Serbian elections

Presidential race pits moderate Micunovic vs ultranationalist Nikolic

A worker collects the remnants of ripped posters showing Dragoljub Micunovic, ruling Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) presidential candidate, yesterday, in Belgrade.

By Dusan Stojanovic - The Associated Press

BELGRADE - The choice between a pro-democracy veteran and a strident nationalist may not be enough motivation for voters to turn out tomorrow in sufficient numbers to finally elect a president. The fear is real. Tomorrow’s election will be the third in a year to try and pick the first truly democratically elected president for Serbia, the pivotal republic of Serbia-Montenegro, formerly Yugoslavia. During communist days following World War II, there were no elections, while under former President Slobodan Milosevic, they were rigged. The two post-Milosevic polls foundered because turnout was below the 50 percent minimum required by law. Polls indicate tomorrow’s election could again fail because of boycott calls by the opposition and widespread voter apathy.

Soaring prices, reports of corruption within the government and daily mudslinging among the once-united leadership that toppled Milosevic in 2000 have left many Serbs disillusioned. The assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic early this year, apparently by underworld figures opposed to a crackdown on crime, has further shaken confidence in democracy. “Right now, the elections are more likely to fail than to succeed,” said Ljiljana Bacevic, a political analyst for the respected Institute for Social Sciences.

With Parliament sidelined after being dissolved this week for early elections on December 28, the failure of tomorrow’s vote would plunge Serbia even deeper into political and social chaos.

Even the possibility of calling new elections should these fail is in doubt, because with no Parliament, there is no parliamentary speaker to do so.

The decision to opt for early elections by the pro-democracy government was, in effect, acknowledgment that it had lost the confidence of both Parliament and the electorate three years after the ousting of Milosevic.

Tomorrow’s vote is meant to fill a post left vacant after Milosevic ally Milan Milutinovic ended his term in January. The coming race pits Dragoljub Micunovic, 73, a veteran politician who has strong democratic credentials, against the ultranationalist Serbian Radical party’s Tomislav Nikolic. Four other minor candidates are also running. Micunovic has said that the failure of the elections would trigger a “major crisis” in Serbia but expressed hope that voters are aware of the consequences of abstaining. “This time, people want to elect their president to stop the paralysis of the government and the Parliament,” he said.

Nikolic has said he is certain of victory, claiming Serbs now are worse off than they were under Milosevic. “I call on all those who live well in Serbia to vote for Micunovic — the rest will vote for me,” Nikolic said.