A FAIR OFFER FOR OVERCOMING THE CRISIS

Opposition agreement on pre-time elections

AIM, PODGORICA, 20. 10. 1999. (by AIM correspondent from Belgrade)

The largest opposition parties and coalitions in Serbia agreed few days ago on the conditions for early elections, according to proportional system, at all levels: federal, republic and local. The opposition document, resulting from a round table discussion, was signed by representatives of the Alliance for Change (DP, CAS, NS, SD, DCPS), Serbian Renewal Movement, Alliance of Democratic Parties (RDPV, LAV, SDU, AVH, coalitions Sandzak and Sumadija), Democratic Party of Serbia, Democratic Alternative, Democratic Center and New Democracy. Requesting that general voting be organized by the end of the year, these parties demand from the ruling coalition (SPS, SRP, YUL) to organize a Round Table where they will together define the election rules.

The agreement of democratic opposition parties stipulates that elections for both Federal and Republic Parliament members should be organized according to proportional system and a small number of election constituencies, eight as maximum. Counting of the necessary number of votes will apply Hare-NimanÆs system. The election census for entering the Parliament is 4% , while "positive discrimination" is proposed for the parties of ethnic minorities. The same system should be used in elections for assemblies in provinces, cities and municipalities. The opposition also requests a revision of votersÆ registration lists and a full control of elections, from ballots printing to data processing, and a presence of domestic and foreign monitors. The central election committee should include three distinguished lawyers, appointed by the government-opposition Round Table.

Additionally, the opposition parties demand that a very restrictive Law on Public Information, which was passed a year ago, be abolished and replaced by the old one. Respect of media rules during the election campaign will be controlled by the Media Council, also appointed by the Round Table. The opposition requires as well a new law on political parties which will not allow registration of parties with less than 3.000 signatures, except for ethnic minorities parties. Both regular and campaigning party activities should be financed from public incomes - for the campaign, parties should get a part of the budget in the same amount, and a part according to their election results.

Signing the common document, the opposition parties announced a "march through institutions": they would send their conclusions to the ruling parties, while assemblies of municipalities ruled by the coalition "Zajedno" officially required the pre-time elections at all levels. Dr. Dragor Hiber, who took part in defining the election conditions in the name of the Civic Alliance, holds that organizing elections by the end of the year is realistic. Ten days, he says, should be enough for organizing the Round Table, and three days for achieving and agreement between the government and the opposition, enabling thus the voting to take place before the New Years Day. Dr Hiber explains that new presidential elections are also a part of the election requests package, although they are not specifically mentioned in the final document. If the government agrees to sit with the opposition, says Hiber, the Round Table discussion will not be an negotiating on the opposition proposals but an agreement on how they will be respected and carried out.

Elections in Kosovo, Hiber explains, are not excepted from the general document, as no exceptions are allowed by the Constitution. The votersÆ turn out will define the number of parliament members from the province. If no one votes, then there will be no representatives from Kosovo in assemblies. Hiber hopes that KFOR will not be an obstacle for organizing pre0time elections in Kosovo, although there were announcements that elections in this Province could be organized only in spring, after a general population census. If, on the other hand, KFOR says that there are no conditions for elections, this will mean that Kosovo is no longer a part of Serbia, and opposition parties will then ask the parties in power to explain what is the truth about Kosovo, he explains.

The potential accusation for war crimes by the Hague Tribunal, says this lawyer, will not prevent election candidacy. The accusation by itself still does not prove oneÆs guilt, so it will not violate everyoneÆs election rights. The same applies to the list of people proclaimed as "persona-non-grata" by the European Union.

Dr Dragor Hiber thinks that Round Table conclusions by the opposition are a "fair offer to the regime to come out the crisis in a civilized way". However, he doubts that the government will accept the proposed conditions. In this case, the opposition is left with no other alternative than to press the regime with any uninstitutional means.

First reactions from the ruling coalition were launched the moment opposition representatives stood up from their chairs at the Round Table. "We are not going to discuss anything by the end of October" - said Vojislav Seselj, a leader of the radicals and Serbian deputy prime minister. In his opinion, there is no reason for early elections, except at the local level, because the local governments controlled by the Serbian Renewal Movement and Democratic Party are corrupted. Dr Milovan Bojic, a high YUL official and also a deputy prime minister, characterized the opposition proposal as "funny".

A direct response to the opposition offer was the governmentÆs proposal of the Draft Law on Local Autonomy, which hastily entered the parliamentary procedure. This law prescribes one-round majority system for local elections. It is much more restrictive in comparison with the now valid law, as it secures two-round voting. The draft law should be discussed at the next session of the Parliament of Serbia, expected by the end of October. According to some predictions form the opposition block, it is possible that the government will call for local elections at this or the next parliament session.

The opposition response to the government challenge is a firm attitude that it will go only to elections called at all levels of government and under conditions it had proposed. Dr Hiber says that opposition parties have to understand that they have only one aim in the next elections - change of government. Parties can march in several rows, but the voting must be a kind of referendum - in favor or against the present government. Everything else is in advance doomed to failure.

Vesna Vujiå (AIM)