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Serb court backs Milosevic in vote appeal
Late-night ruling, union opposition fuel protests
December 8, 1996
Web posted at: 1:45 p.m. EST (1945 GMT)BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Court rulings supporting Serbia's Socialist president in contested elections fueled further anti-government protests Sunday, as organized labor threatened to back the student-led demonstrators.
(1.2M/40 sec. QuickTime movie)The Supreme Court late Saturday night handed President Slobodan Milosevic victories in at least some of those challenged elections, said Milica Nedeljkovic, an opposition observer at Belgrade's Electoral Commission.
A coalition of opposition groups had asked the court to overturn government action that annulled voting results in 46 municipal districts where coalition candidates posted victories.
The court late Saturday issued rulings on five of those cases, rejecting demands to dismiss the annulments, Nadeljkovic said.
The court is expected to announce its complete decision Sunday.
The rulings occurred as Serbian workers Saturday threatened to take their grievances to the streets, a move certain to bolster the student-led marchers.
Leaders of two independent unions said their members were ready to strike next week if Milosevic did not reinstate the opposition's November 17 local election victories.
The workers are primarily concerned with Serbia's plummeting living standards, although they are also angry at Milosevic's hard-line tactics.
"We will express our support for the students and citizens...because our votes were stolen in the local elections," said union leader Radisa Ristic.
Officials with the Independents union federation said six factories were ready to strike next Wednesday, including machinery and aluminum works. The leader of the 600,000- member Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions said it planned to start organizing protests Monday.
Give in or crack down
With serious industrial muscle joining the protests, Belgrade authorities may have little choice but to give in to opposition demands -- or else crack down without mercy.
"Their demands could potentially be more dangerous for Milosevic than ours," said Zoran Djindjic, leader of the opposition Democratic Party.
With an estimated 150,000 marchers in Belgrade Saturday, it was the 20th straight day of street protests. The crisis has severely damaged Milosevic's autocratic rule and his carefully crafted perception in the west as a force for stability in the former Yugoslavia.
"He has managed to squander all his hard-won credibility after the Dayton peace accord," a senior Western diplomat said.
Opposition 'will continue'
Kati Morton, the visiting head of the U.S. Committee for the Protection of Journalists and the wife of Dayton accords architect Richard Holbrooke, visited with Milosevic in Belgrade.
The Serbian leader told Morton that he will obey the Supreme Court's ruling and that the police and army would not intervene to muzzle the protests. He also promised he would allow opposition media to broadcast.
But winning Belgrade alone is not enough for the opposition. They say they want their election victories in all three major cities.
"We will continue until his resignation," opposition leader Vuk Draskovic said of Milosevic.
The key challenge for the protesters is to sustain their movement, something they have accomplished through symbolic gestures such as planting a tree to represent their peaceful intentions. With backing from labor, the protest movement will be able to challenge Milosevic with brains and brawn.
Correspondent Brent Sadler and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Serbian Supreme Court to review appeal of local elections - December 7, 1996
- Serbian opposition: Protests can end if elections recognized - December 6, 1996
- As protests mount, Serbia's hard line begins to soften - December 5, 1996
- Serbs silence 3rd radio station critical of Milosevic - December 4, 1996
- Independent radio stations silenced in Yugoslavia - December 3, 1996
- U.S. warns Milosevic not to use force against protesters - December 3, 1996
- Anti-Milosevic protesters take to streets despite threats - December 2, 1996
- Belgrade protesters keep up campaign against Milosevic - November 30, 1996
- Students protest on streets of Belgrade - November 29, 1996
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