The Parliamentary Coup

On Thursday, the socialist-radical majority in the Serbian Assembly demonstrated its power, technique and intentions when it adopted amendments to the Law on electing members of the Yugoslav Assembly's Chamber of Republics with which, according to the opposition, it broke the constitution, since it changed the electoral law retroactively, during the electoral procedure. Because of this, six parties left the parliament. The letter sent by the Democratic Movement of Serbia (DEPOS) to the Montenegrin Assembly says that on January 28th 1993 a political blow way dealt to the Serbian multi-party parliament and to the foundations of the federal alliance. At the moment when our magazine was being concluded (Friday 29th, at noon) the leaders of the Democratic Movement of Serbia were still in session, so that the opposition's next move is not known. The Democratic Movement of Serbia will, to all intents and purposes, reexamine its status in the Assembly. The disputed voting, after which 12 socialists and 8 radicals became members of the Yugoslav Assembly's Chamber of Republics, took place before the President of the Republic signed the law and before it was published in the Official Gazette, and a law that has not been published does not exist. The opposition could decide to launch constitutional proceedings, in order to challenge the mentioned law, or to call on the President of the Republic of Serbia not to sign it. Having waited for Montenegro to elect its representatives in the federal parliament, the Serbian radicals and socialists decided on this move so that, with the help of the radicals from Montenegro, they would have total control of the federal parliament and probably overthrow the president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Dobrica Cosic, which could lead to Vojislav Seselj (leader of the Serbian Radical Party-SRS) having greater power in parliament than Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic and to a new state crisis.