Avramovic Withdraws

An announcement of the Election Headquarters of the coalition Zajedno, dispatched to all Belgrade editorial offices on Wednesday evening, reads as follows:

"We were informed by Mr. Avramovic today that his health has suddenly deteriorated and that, due to such circumstances, he can no longer head the coalition Zajedno. Word is of high blood pressure, which, by information given by the doctors, seriously hinders the dialysis procedure. We believe that Mr. Avramovic's health is of the utmost importance to both him and the rest of us and therefore have complete understanding about his decision.

Our workers-farmers-democratic coalition Zajedno is carrying on with its pre-election campaign in accordance with the published program. A very important place shall be preserved in it for the program of the country's economic recovery which governor Avramovic was not able to realize in the framework of the current government.

The workers-farmers-democratic coalition "Zajedno-Avramovic" has been submitted and has announced its election lists in all 29 electoral units in accordance with the regulations and shall stand at the federal elections with them.

Belgrade, October 9, 1996

The joint Election Headquarters of the Coalition "Zajedno-Avramovic".

The message arrived via telefax from the Democratic Party around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9. However, according to certain journalistic sources, various speculations and whispers were circulating in Belgrade as of Wednesday morning, which makes the marked and - at first glance, honest - surprise of most of the opposition leaders even more interesting. One otherwise reliable source from the Parliament of Serbia sent word of Avramovic's possible withdrawal from the election race at 3:30 p.m., yet that news wasn't confirmed, so that no one dared to announce it. Independently from all that, as it so appears, Zivorad Mihajlovic Silja, the new contributor to Radio Belgrade's First Program, drew up and in his newscast at 7 p.m. read an unusually fierce attack on the coalition Zajedno, and especially on Dr. Avramovic, whom he had called by various names and implicitly accused of being a foreign agent; all of that in no way departs from the regime tactics of low blows in this pre-election campaign.

However, it turned out that Dr. Avramovic has, "in the course of the day before yesterday" sent off a letter to the leaders of the Coalition (Draskovic, Djindjic, Kostunica, Pesic and Milovanovic of the Independent Syndicates) in which he renounced leadership of the Coalition, so that the announcement of the Election Headquarters of the coalition Zajedno has had delayed reactions. What is more, in subsequent phone calls he explained his stand to them, so that the surprise of the opposition leaders seemed somewhat false. The leaders of the Coalition were in Brussels, and Voja Kostunica was at Pale; they were most probably waiting to consult with each other and to - maybe - convince Dr. Avramovic to change his mind.

Reactions of the leaders of the opposition reflected surprise yet not restraint. Vuk Draskovic refused to give a statement for VREME, yet judging by the reactions of his closest associates it is evident that the Serbian Renewal Party (SPO) is very concerned. Slobodan Vuksanovic, spokesman of the Democratic Party states that the coalition shall "carry on": "In any case, we are grateful to professor Dragoslav Avramovic for helping the opposition to unite. We are carrying on and professor Avramovic is still with us. After the elections and our victory, we shall suggest Mr. Avramovic as the federal prime minister. We wish to keep him for that." Dr. Dragoljub Micunovic from the Democratic Center says that it is "sad news; I just spoke to professor Avramovic on the phone and I am very surprised by the information of his withdrawal since there were no hints of it, nor announcements that such a thing could occur. I was not invited to sit in on the meeting of the Election Headquarters of the coalition Zajedno after which the announcement was made public, so I don't know the details." Vojislav Kostunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia, didn't have any comments "at this moment", since he just came back from his trip and received the news. "I am flabbergasted and believe that everything that could be stated on the subject at this moment was presented in the announcement of the Election Headquarters."