30 years since first multi-party elections in Serbia and the day that changed course of our history

The convincing triumph in the elections held on December 9, 1990, was described by many as the day when the people "gave Slobodan Milosevic the power to shape the fate of the Serbs"

The first multi-party elections for the National Assembly of Serbia held after the Second World War took place on this day 30 years ago, and along with the parliamentary, the presidential elections were also held. The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) triumphed convincingly, winning as many as 194 seats in the Assembly, while its leader Slobodan Milosevic was elected as president.

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Until that point, he was the Chairman of the Presidency of Serbia, which, according to the then valid Constitution, was a function equal to the office of the president of the state.

Changing the Constitution and electoral system

After the disintegration of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia at the beginning of 1990, a multi-party system was introduced in Serbia the same year. The newly formed opposition parties demanded that the first free elections be held as soon as possible, but the government insisted that the Serbian Constitution must be changed first.

Before the elections, a referendum was held that decided to change the highest legal act of the state, although opposition parties of the time were against it, believing that it was necessary for the newly elected, multi-party National Assembly to make constitutional changes.

Elections were announced based on a decision of the National Assembly of Serbia and the previously adopted laws on election of people's deputies and on constituencies. They were organized according to a majority, two-round electoral system, and Serbia was divided into 250 election units.

Milosevic's convincing election triumph

At that time, 5,030,440 voters or 71.49 percent went to the polls. The SPS won 46.1 percent, or 2,320,587 votes, but due to the electoral system, that gave them 194 out of a total of 250 seats in parliament.

The strongest opposition party, the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), won 19 seats, while the Democratic Party (DS) won only seven seats in the National Assembly.

Based on the results of the voting, representatives of 15 political parties and groups of citizens gained their place in the National Assembly.

In the presidential election held at the same time, Slobodan Milosevic won with 65.34 percent of the vote (one million votes more than the SPS) in the first round. He was re-elected to that office two years later, where he remained for another seven years.

Milosevic was elected as president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Federal Assembly on July 25, 1997. He remained in that position until October 5, 2000, when, under public pressure, he conceded defeat in the presidential elections held on September 24 that year.

In those elections, Slobodan Milosevic received 1,826,799 votes, or 37.15 percent.

The candidate of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), Vojislav Kostunica, was elected with 2,470,304 votes (50.24 percent).

Arrest and extradition to The Hague tribunal

Milosevic was arrested on April 1, 2001, on charges of financial fraud related to customs, but that process was never conducted, since he was extradited to the Hague Tribunal on the feast of Vidovdan (St. Vitus), June 28, 2001.

He was indicted before The Hague tribunal on May 27, 1999, along with four other senior Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian officials, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Kosovo.

The Hague tribunal filed a new indictment against Milosevic on October 9, 2001, for war crimes in Croatia and on November 23 for genocide against Muslims and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milosevic's trial in The Hague began on February 12, 2002.

He died on March 11, 2006 from a heart attack, in his cell in custody of the Hague Tribunal. Due to his death, the trial against him was suspended on March 14, 2006.

His remains were brought from The Hague to Belgrade four days after his death, so that his body could be lie in state on March 16 in the hall of the May 25 Museum, within the museum complex in Dedinje.

He was buried in the yard of his family house in Pozarevac on March 18, 2006.

(Telegraf.rs)