Just a Little Pregnant

As was later established, the Serbian president carried out his civil duty in his birthplace, Pozarevac, where he was spending the week-end, instead of Dedinje, where he is registered, and the director of TV Serbia Vucelic apparently wasn't told about that. To the subsequent comment that voting outside one's place of residence, thereby by-passing the voting lists, throws a shadow over the regularity of the referendum, the Republican Election Commission reassuringly explained that it was a one-off example of departure from the election rules and as such does not threaten the regularity of the whole referendum (this logic of "just a small" breaking of the law is called by lawyers the Syndrome of a woman who is "just a little pregnant").

The memory of Milosevic voting in his home town comes to mind all by itself this week when the Federal Prime Minister Milan Panic is being hounded to provide registration of residence of at least one year in his home town (Belgrade), because his registration slip from 1945 is considered invalid (most of the other presidential candidates weren't even born then or at that time didn't know where Belgrade was). The Commission patiently explained to Panic that "the law is the law" and that "a girl can't be just a little pregnant". Whole teams of government experts explained the difference between "boraviste" (domicile, home, abode, place of residence) and "prebivaliste" (domicile, home, abode, place of residence...). The fact that "the law is the law" was not taken into account a few months ago, when, on the invitation of the Serbian government, Panic was elected federal prime minister. It was also completely forgotten two years ago when Panic became a co-owner of "Galenika", which was, as still is, impossible without similar certificates of residence and nationality. But at that time papers weren't required. Who could have thought that one day this exemplary (at the time) and willing to invest Serbian patriot would start to swim up stream and become a "traitor". Those informed say that the whole rumpus about the illegality of Panic's candidacy was raised not only out of fear of a serious opponent, but so that no-one would remember to raise the question once more about the constitutionally indefensible renewal of Milosevic's top position in the Socialist Party.

As Panic was collecting residence papers, Slobodan Vucetic, a judge at the Constitutional Court of Serbia, gave the most convincing description of legal powerlessness and the political ambiance in which the elections are being held. Speaking of the conflict between the federal and republican ministries of interior, Vucetic said that the raid on the Federal Police building was "not only scandalous, but unheard of as an act of governmental violence, resembling a mini putsch". Vucetic also thinks that with the present balance of power it is hard to expect that the Federal Parliament will respect the law and find an adequate solution.

Just before the '90 elections, the heads of certain district courts, emphasized proudly that their judges "were greatly involved in the popularization of the SPS program". It is "no wonder that 33 employees from this institution joined SPS". On the eve of this year's elections, a different list of judges - those whose re-election has been confirmed and who, according to new regulations, can expect to retire from these positions - has been published. On the list of presently unemployed judges there is a remarkable number of people who were not too much "involved in the popularization of the SPS program".

Panic's residence registration, Milosevic's week-end voting, acts of governmental violence, the firing of non-conformist judges, the legalization of the underworld in the political world, "Interpol recommendations" for certain MP candidates, "constitutional games" about the referendum, or the disappearance of people from the voters' lists - not only illustrate "pre-election delinquency", but give a portrait of a country shaped more and more by the image of only one man who obviously remembers a notorious Tito's advice given to the judges: "You don't always have to go by the law come wind come weather".