Opposition and the Elections

Following the dramatic ne.gotiations and bickering concerning the future MP seats which were, at least according to information which was presented to the public, occasionally on the level of flea market bids, the most important parties of the democratic opposition in Serbia have finally reached an agreement concerning their joint appearance at the forthcoming federal and local elections set for November 3. At the elections, as part of the Workers - Farmers - Democratic coalition "Zajedno" (as its official name states) the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) shall appear as well. This was announced to the public on Tuesday, October 1, and two days prior to it, an announcement was made that the Association of the Independent and Freelance Unions of Serbia have joined the coalition "Zajedno". Reinforcements in the opposition team shall most definitely change the balance of power on the political scene and the "new players" on the "Zajedno" team speak on that subject for VREME: the president of DSS Dr. Vojislav Kostunica and the president of the Presidency of the Association of Unions Dragan Milovanovic.

Dr. Vojislav Kostunica

Serbia is a Great Enigma

From the moment when the Serbian Renewal Party (SPO), the Democratic Party (DS) and the Civil Alliance of Serbia (GSS) reached an agreement on forming the coalition "Zajedno", the opposition sympathizers hoped that the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) would join the coalition. This party couldn't make up it's mind for a long while: there were combinations with Seselj's radicals, a coalition exclusively with Djindjic's DS, negotiations were entered into with politically marginal people, and even an election boycott was in the game, as reaction to the controversial change in the electoral conditions regulations and state of the media which is worse than ever. Finally, following tedious negotiations followed by low blows, the energetic Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic appears as the head of the "Zajedno" coalition, the two-day-long wrangling over the candidate's ballots and over the number of future MP seats in the Parliament, as well as Dr. Avramovic's threats that he shall turn his back on the whole deal, on Tuesday, October 1, the president of DSS Dr. Vojislav Kostunica, the head of DS Dr. Zoran Djindjic and the head of the "Zajedno" coalition Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic appeared announcing that negotiations were happily concluded - the Democratic Party of Serbia has finally decided to join up with the "Zajedno" coalition. As Dr. Vojislav Kostunica explains for VREME, media and electoral conditions have been the deciding issues which have made them think upon the need to join up and re-group opposition parties:

"By changing the electoral regulations on electoral units and by enlarging the number of electoral units, the network through which the opposition parties need to pass has become more compact. At the beginning of September, we had reached a decision to stand alone at the elections, and then, a few weeks later, keeping the new circumstances in mind - the rational and irrational appeals for building up the opposition scene in Serbia and, undoubtedly, with the appearance of Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic - we allowed that decision to be changed. The main party board handed authorization over to the Presidency to enter into negotiations with Dr. Avramovic upon the subject of joining up with the "Zajedno" coalition. On the basis of those talks and being conscious that something has changed in the electoral body in Serbia, especially after Dr. Avramovic had sent a letter to SPO, DS and GSS (which became public and which wasn't it's intention) in which he states his intention to withdraw from the political scene in case our party does not join this opposition bloc, we reached a decision to stand at the elections with the coalition "Zajedno" headed by Mr. Avramovic."

As VREME's collocutor explains, the decision of the Democratic Party of Serbia came as a result of the belief that in these circumstances thinking should transcend party lines. What prevailed, he says, is public opinion and the danger of an election abstinence of potential voters of the opposition in case a larger opposition bloc isn't formed. He believes that the opposition front in Serbia is strengthened:

"The reactions of the government show their insecurity. By hindering the media, repelling public freedom and by playing games with the electoral conditions, the ruling party is trying to, with the least number of votes, acquire the largest possible number of MP seats and to secure a stable majority in the Federal Parliament with minimal support. A government which is sure of itself does not hinder the media and from that fact we can arrive at the conclusion that the opposition side has become stronger, especially after forming an opposition bloc such as this one which shall motivate opposition voters to vote. Those are the general evaluations and I wouldn't go into some other estimates, there are many things which aren't clear in Serbia, and at the moment before these elections, possibly more than ever, the words of the poet: 'Serbia is a great enigma' stand more than ever."

However, it is no secret that the coalition "Zajedno" can, during the next month, expect a firing squad from all media weapons which are controlled by the government. It is absolutely certain that the activities of the left-over "part-time" members of the State Security Service who exist in the opposition parties shall be intensified, and even the filthiest imaginable methods won't be ruled out: a few days ago an eminent doctor, the Republic Minister for Work, Social and Veterans Issues and the director of the Clinical-Hospital Center in Belgrade, Dr. Milivoje Stamatovic, in an underhanded way, reminded the public that Dr. Avramovic is receiving treatment at the institution of which he (Stamatovic) is the director, warning the former National Bank President that he shouldn't deal with politics. As Dr. Vojislav Kostunica states, the opposition shall "most certainly keep the different forms of reaction to some new government pressures in mind":

"Even before there were ways of resisting those pressures. The experience of the last few years have shown that only by pressures upon the non-democratic government can certain concessions be extracted. In 1990 during the pre-election campaign, the threat of a boycott brought about a smallish, yet still significant concession - instead of the one-party electoral committees, multi-party ones were formed. If it hadn't been for that, we can imagine how the irregular elections of that year would have turned out if the socialists had counted the votes on their own. In the next year as a result of pressure, TV cameras were admitted into parliament. A year later, at the Round Table, instead of the valid majority electoral system a far more just proportional system was introduced. This year, despite all the attacks from the government, there were no answers from the opposition, maybe due to the general apathy of the public. A mass form of expressing dissatisfaction between elections does not motivate the people here. Just a tiny step is all that is needed to articulate your dissatisfaction - vote. There are no risks, no exertions, the only thing that is important is to motivate the voters to vote. I believe that a coalition such as this one might sober the voters out of their hangover."

Dragan Milovanovic

Against the Feudal Lords and the Latifundists

In the shadow of the media hubbub turned towards the negotiations on entering the Democratic Party of Serbia into the coalition "Zajedno", the fact remains that in the above mentioned block we come upon a union "confederation". Word is of the Association of the Independent and Freelance Unions of Serbia which are made up of the Unions (with or without the term "freelance") of metal workers, farmers, doctors, pharmaceutics, city cleaners and city transport employees. All together, close to 750 thousand members, as estimated in the Association. Precise data still doesn't exist, there are no membership cards since it is a relatively new association.

It is not difficult to guess what reasons led the Association of Unions to join up with the "Zajedno" coalition - all "evolves" around the National Bank Governor Dragoslav Avramovic and the wish to improve life conditions and profitable business plans, a democratization of the society and a return to the "normal world".

"We have kept in touch with Dr. Avramovic since the times when he was bank president and when he had, in his expert groups, alongside experts, included union members", explains Dragan Milovanovic. "He can rely on the wide support from the workers, farmers, pensioners, experts and all people who wish that things in Serbia would finally start improving, and best proof for that were the ovations which he encountered in Kragujevac, or received from the strikers in IMT. Dr. Avramovic has proven that, when you approach a job in a professional and thorough manner, results are excellent. We have estimated that it is in our interest to support Dr. Avramovic and join the "Zajedno" coalition.

The joining up of the Association of Unions to the "Zajedno" coalition has inspired the "rival" UGS "Nezavisnost" union to utter a public opinion in which they condemn the Association because "on account of a few MP seats" and, generally, due to their "dabbling with politics" they are neglecting the real goals of the union battle. VREME's collocutor denies that:

"We are supporting the "Zajedno" coalition, but we didn't sign anything because we didn't ask for a single MP seat. For us it is important that Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic is head of the coalition who is guaranteed the position of prime minister and absolute freedom of choice if he is eventually to form a government. He is, actually, our most important representative, beside him, we don't need any MP seats. Not a single member of our Presidency has put up his name as a candidate in name of the Association on the election ballots, it is only possible that somebody has done that as a member of a certain party. Therefore, the accusations don't hold. However, we are interested in having our representatives in the municipal and city halls, since those levels are important for the union, but even that isn't obligatory. We are aware that things can't carry on like this anymore, that the economy is on it's deathbed, that the farmers are in the midst of a crisis and that time has come for these things to change. By forming the coalition "Zajedno" a clear division in the country has come about between those who are all for democratization, economic recovery and re-entrance into civilization and, on the other side, the local feudal lords, power-wielders, war profiteers and "latifundists" of the South American type. We have chosen our side."