Voislav Kostunica: idea of a party state rehabilitated in Serbia - 2 September, 2002

Yugoslav President Voislav Kostunica told in an interview to Reporter, a new parliament and new government should be formed after presidential elections in Serbia.

In  his words, if new parliament elections are not held, no effective reforms are possible in the country, because the present-day parliament has got already exhausted. Unlike in 2000, these should be not “contra” but “pro” elections; political parties should demonstrate their strength by presentation of effective programs. The president is dissatisfied with the fact that “new elections will be held according to the voting right developed in the era of Slobodan Milosevic.” The law is out-of-date, at the same time, it lacks regulations on political parties and financing of the parties, on combination of functions, comparison of interests, and so on. 

The Yugoslav president is sure, it is not the government but the parliament that is to hold the power in the country (the parliament currently holds the power).  Instead of it, the government now is kind of a conglomeration between the authority and the parliamentary majority, that in its turn is subject to the government.

Moreover, as the president says, the actual Serbian power is in hands of the Serbian Democratic Opposition. This means rehabilitation of the idea of a party state instead of a legal one.

Presidential elections are scheduled for September 29 in Serbia, Voislav Kostunica is one of the candidates to the post. He claims that in case of his victory, “he would work persistently on establishment of a legal state in Serbia, struggle against corruption for democratization of the country, for a better life to all people and try to preserve a united state of Serbia and Montenegro.”

Miroljub Labus, Yugoslav vice-premier is said to be the main rival to Voislav Kostinuca at the presidential elections. So, who is to win: Kostunica, a moderate nationalist, or Labus, a reformer of a western type? Or is there someone else to enter into competition?
 
Sergey Yugov
PRAVDA.Ru