Four Elections Issues

Party platforms usually center around several key issues which candidates debate, and on the basis of those voters decide which party they will vote for. With only a few days remaining before parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia, none of these usual elections conditions can be said to exist. It is as if the country is not at all in ruins, and as if people have not yet reached their limit. Elections news in Serbia deals more with who tore up whose elections posters, and who whistled at whose elections meeting and got beaten up as a result. VREME tried to put together a survey of answers made by party candidates to questions which should, or rather, which would be of vital interest were this a civilized election held in a civilized country.

Kosovo

"There aren’t nearly as many Albanians in Kosovo as people tend to think." (Dragan Tomic, Acting President of Serbia)

"We do not want a Serbia that is divided up into regions, which is why we are strongly against the creation of regional institutions," stated Vojislav Zivkovic, President of the SPS Regional Committee for Kosovo, at an SPS elections rally in Kosovo’s Kamenica. According to Radio Pristina reports, Zivkovic stated that the Socialists want "a unitary, centralized, strong and unified Serbia," and that they "wish to do away with every single one of those premises which in the past clearly demonstrated, through concrete examples, that a region is merely a starting point on the road to separation of the regionalized part of the country." "Neither Serbia nor Montenegro wish for the creation of a region, while for Albanians a region would simply not be a satisfactory option, which raises the whole question, why should a Kosovo Region exist at all when it serves no one’s interests, least of all ours," stated Zivkovic. In an elections rally organized by SPS in Kosovska Mitrovica, he went on to say that "Albanian separatism is politically dead and buried, and that all illusions about the creation of a Kosovo Republic have been disabused." "The only option Kosovo separatists have is to create mayhem through armed insurgence and bloodshed in the hope of petrifying the citizens of Kosovo. That is why we intend to deal with terrorism using internationally practiced anti-terrorist tactics," stressed the President of Kosovo Socialists.

Vojislav Seselj, presidential candidate for the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), stated in Pristina that he will deal with the whole issue of Kosovo and Metohija by resorting to instruments of state. The Serbian Radical Party is in principal against the existence of autonomous regions because such autonomous regions can only be justified in a dictatorship.

Vuk Draskovic, presidential candidate for the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), stated in an SPO elections rally in Kraljevo that "When I become president, there will be no divvying up of Serbia. Those separatist leaders who openly say ‘God forbid that Vuk Draskovic and SPO ever win the elections — all our dreams of an independent Kosovo then will go down the drain’, those same leaders could not be more correct. I wish to send a message to them — if you must dream, dream only of the old Serbia, the Serbia in which all our roots lie."

In an interview with the Nasa Borba daily, Vuk Obradovic, presidential candidate for Social Democracy (SD), stated that "the first step, as far as we are concerned, will be to initiate a dialogue with Albanians. Without that, there will be no solution to this issue which is of vital importance to the future of this country. We believe in greater autonomy for Kosovo from the one it had thus far, and in real, not fictional rights for Kosovo’s Albanians."

And a quote from an interview with the SRS presidential candidate Vojislav Seselj in the Blic daily: Journalist — "Several days ago we had ten synchronized attack on police in Kosovo;" Seselj — "The Americans are behind that; they are lobbying for Kosovo in Serbia, while their secret service agents are instigating terrorist activities in Kosovo."

Yugoslavia

"The example of Serbia is the best proof of how necessary unity was for us to initiate our present phase of renewal. The Government of National Unity could not even exist, let alone function properly, had political unity not been achieved in Serbia. I am certain of the fact that the citizens of Yugoslavia, of Republika Srpska, the entire Serbian people and all the citizens of our country will keep in mind how important unity is for the process which they initiated here and elsewhere to continue successfully and in the interest of the affirmation of our national interests, and the interests of all citizens of FRY", stated Slobodan Milosevic, President of FRY, on the occasion of the commemorative opening of Feketic — Subotica Highway.

Nebojsa Covic, President of the Democratic Alternative, believes that the recent conflicts in Montenegro and Republika Srpska have contributed to instability in FR Yugoslavia. "I think that Belgrade needlessly contributed to the opening up of new conflicts and hot spots, and that by taking sides, it fuels these hot spots on a daily basis," stated Covic in an interview with the Dnevni Telegraf daily. He went on to say that these conflicts represent "a very real danger of a renewed brak up in Yugoslavia; this seems to be a favorite game Belgrade likes to play, one whose results we already saw, lived through and felt on our skins as losers in a conflict that raged on the territories of the former Yugoslavia."

In a questionnaire conducted by the daily Borba, Ivica Dacic, Spokesman for SPS stated that "SPS has made a fundamental choice to stand behind a Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which is an equal partner in the community of equal republics and their citizens. Yugoslavia is of primary interest to our people and to both Yugoslav Republics, and our efforts will be directed toward the strengthening of the federation, and toward the stepping up of economic renewal and prosperity in our whole country."

Rebeka Srbinovic, Spokeswoman for New Democracy, explained in the Borba daily questionnaire that her party believes in a modern, efficient federation which should deal successfully with every challenge and responsibility it faces, and which by doing so should secure international legitimacy. New Democracy believes that the FRY constitutional system needs to be open toward other member republics, which will lead to a reintegration of the entire Balkans into a unified zone of peace and overall progress.

Aleksandar Vucelic, General Secretary of SRS, stated in the Borba questionnaire that "Radicals believe in a unitary, unified Serbian state. We believe that there is no need for having three governments, three parliaments, and the same number of police and army forces, but that a single president, a single parliament, a single army and police force are enough. With this the danger of conflicts between republics would be avoided, while public costs would be significantly reduced. With this the problems of a functioning federation, especially relevant because of separatist currents in certain parts of our country, would also be taken care of. Secession and breakup would thus be cut at the root."

In the same questionnaire Ivan Kovacevic, SPO Spokesma, claims that his party energetically fought against the breakup of former Yugoslavia. "However, what’s done is done. The existing Yugoslavia is founded on a constitution ratified in Zabljak with which a federation of two republics was created. The Serbian Renewal Movement always believed that there is no need for breaking up this federation. According to SPO sources, strong separatist forces do not exist in Montenegro, and therefore I fail to see any real danger in Montenegrin secession," stated Kovacevic.

"I love Serbia more than anything else, but I also respect those who find Serbia and Yugoslavia closest to their hearts," stated Zoran Lilic, presidential candidate for the Unified Left Coalition, while speaking at a rally in Kraljevo. In an interview with the Nasa Borba daily, Lilic’s answer to the question what kind of relations he would have with the President of Montenegro if Milo Djukanovic is elected to that position, was the following: "The President of Montenegro is elected by the citizens of Montenegro. It is important for both Serbia and for Montenegro that the federalist option wins the elections. While war raged in the territories of the former Yugoslavia, the people of Montenegro unanimously voted in favor of a united Yugoslavia. That is why they elected DPS. He who is voted the President of Montenegro by the people of Montenegro must also be accepted and respected here in Serbia. I fully stand behind that," stated Lilic.

To the question how he sees the conflicts in Montenegro, Vuk Obradovic stated in an interview with the Nasa Borba daily that "We in Serbia should not get mixed up in that conflict. Because of the Serbian Government’s meddling, that conflict assumed dramatic proportions. We energetically condemn SPS’s actions and its absolutely irresponsible political behavior. The basic issue is not who is for or against Yugoslavia, but what kind of Yugoslavia do we all want, and can we continue to follow the policy of political isolationism which we have been practicing for some time now. People here seem to believe that the fate of Yugoslavia depends on one man only. Putting our fate in the hands of one man, or of very few people, has cost us dearly thus far. I think that the most appropriate name for the state we live in should be the Serbian-Montenegrin Federation."

Standard of Living

Slobodan Milosevic, President of FRY, stated on the occasion of the commemorative opening of the Feketic-Subotica Highway that "We have the largest increase in industrial and agricultural production; we have the largest increases in investments. The investment basis behind our economic progress, which needs to be strengthened, is being strengthened daily throughout our economy, particularly when it comes to infrastructure, telecommunications, energy, and elsewhere. In some segments of the economy we managed to make huge leaps."

Dr. Oskar Kovac, parliamentary candidate for the Parliament of Serbia for the Unified Left SPS-JUL-ND, stated on his visit to Ostruznica that "SPS is working toward a complex development of agriculture, so that those living in the country can live just as well as people living in cities".

"The government keeps talking about increases in production and increases in the standard of living, but they always keep silent on the main issue — that production and the standard of living will only really begin to grow once they step down," stated Vuk Draskovic at an election rally in Uzice. In a rally in Vrbas, Draskovic told farmers that "the budget for agriculture should secure long-term, no-interest loans for procuring farm equipment, that agricultural taxes need to be immediately decreased, and that taxes on poverty-stricken farming households need to be altogether discontinued."

"I cannot believe my eyes! For as long as I can remember, we used to waddle through mud and snow, and now look at this — asphalt! exclaimed the dumfounded Dragic Petrovic, who at the entrance to the village of Rasica, at the foot of the northern peaks of Kopaonik Mountain, stood waiting to greet MP’s Ph.D Jova Todorovic and Ratomir Vica." (Politika daily, September 12)

Foreign Policy

Radmila Milentijevic, Information Minister in the Serbian Government stated that "United States, I am certain, will profit by bettering its relations with Serbia".

Gorica Gajevic, speaking at a rally in the SPS Community Council for Zemun, stated that "we intend to cooperate with the rest of the world as partners, and not as vassals."

Speaking about our relations with Europe and the world, Zoran Lilic stated at an elections rally in Uzice that "we are not asking them to like us. We are asking them to respect us, to respect our interests, our people, Serbia and Yugoslavia".

Goran Percevic, Member of the Executive Council of the Head Committee of SPS, speaking at an elections rally in New Belgrade, stated that "Serbia’s alternative is not in isolationism, chauvinism or vassalage; the true alternative for Serbia is founded on openness to and equality with the rest of the world."

Ivica Dacic, SPS Spokesman, stated in the Borba questionnaire that "We are open to cooperation and integration, but only if it is based on respect for our national independence and on equality in international relations, in which we must safeguard our liberty."

Vladimir Stambuk, President of the Central Committee of JUL, stated in the round table discussion, "Yugoslavia in the World, New Perspectives", that "after elections in Serbia and in Montenegro, Yugoslavia will be in a position to establish stable contacts throughout the world. The world must get used to Yugoslavia, the country whose citizens have been denied basic human rights — the freedom to travel, and cooperation between cultural, media, and other institutions and the rest of the world."

Dusan Mihajlovic, President of New Democracy (ND), spoke at an elections rally in Valjevo, explaining the "significant reasons" for ND’s participation in the upcoming elections. Firstly, "we support a clear pro-European foreign policy, and a synchronization of our political, social and all other spheres with European standards, so that conditions will be created for better cooperation with Europe," explained Mihajlovic.

Speaking at an SPO elections rally in Vranje, Vuk Draskovic stated that "for Serbia to be entirely resurrected, it is essential that the outer wall of sanctions be lifted, that our international debts be postponed or altogether dropped, that we become members of the IMF, that a fair distribution of property in former SFRY be undertaken, and that loans from international financial institutions be secured. The only party which can guarantee all this is SPO because it is the only party to which all doors, from Moscow to Washington, stand wide open."

Aleksandar Vucic, General Secretary of the Serbian Radical Party stated that "the political interests of America and its satellites are to destroy Serbian nations lying in the west, which they already did with the Serbian Republic of Krajina, and are now trying to do with Republika Srpska. All those who have economic interests in investing in our country will be met with open arms, like, for instance, the Italian STET or the Greek OET. Serbian Radicals are simply not interested in those who want to exercise their political interests here. In international contacts, we promise to safeguard our national pride, honor and the dignity of our people..."

Vuk Obradovic, presidential candidate for Social Democracy, stated that "the map of Europe has been significantly altered, both politically and economically. Sooner or later, Yugoslavia will have to deal with the question of joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace. We will not be able to ignore such issues for long, as they are of the highest national significance".