2000 Yugoslavian general election

none July 2024 July 2024 FR Yugoslavia 2000 24 September 2000 Presidential election 71.53% yes presidential 130x130px Vojislav Koštunica in 2001 (cropped).jpg Vojislav Koštunica Democratic Party of Serbia Democratic Opposition of Serbia 2,470,304 51.71% Milosevic in Hague (cropped).jpg Slobodan Milošević Socialist Party of Serbia SPS–JUL–SNP 1,826,799 38.24% Tomislav Nikolić 2 (cropped).jpg Tomislav Nikolić Serbian Radical Party 289,013 6.05% File:Yugoslavia 2000 Presidential election.svg 200px Results by districtKoštunica: #ace1e1 40–50% #81d0d0 50–60% #53bfbf 60–70% #1eafaf 70–80%Milošević: #f1b4b2 40–50% #ed8783 50–60% #d02923 70–80% President Slobodan Milošević SPS Vojislav Koštunica DSS Milošević resigns on 7 October 2000 yes Parliamentary election yes 1996 Chamber of Citizens Democratic Opposition of Serbia Vojislav Koštunica 43.86 58 Socialist Party of Serbia Slobodan Milošević 32.95 44 Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Šešelj 8.75 5 Socialist People's Party of Montenegro Momir Bulatović 2.24 28 Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians József Kasza 1.03 1 Serb People's Party (Montenegro) Božidar Bojović 0.17 2 Chamber of Republics Democratic Opposition of Serbia Vojislav Koštunica 44.99 10 SPS–JUL Slobodan Milošević 31.81 7 Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Šešelj 10.17 2 Serbian Renewal Movement Vuk Drašković 6.04 1 Socialist People's Party of Montenegro Momir Bulatović 2.22 19 Serb People's Party (Montenegro) Božidar Bojović 0.20 1 Prime Minister Momir Bulatović Socialist People's Party of Montenegro Zoran Žižić Socialist People's Party of Montenegro 2000 Yugoslavian Chamber of Citizens election - Results by constituency.svg presidential General elections were held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 24 September 2000.Dieter Nohlen & Philip StöverP (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1678 978-3-8329-5609-7 They included the presidential election, which was held using the two-round system, with a second round scheduled for 8 October.http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/story/124/drustvo/2476957/godisnjica-petog-oktobra.html Radio Television of Serbia sr:Годишњица Петог октобра sr 5 October 2016 19 April 2019 After the first round, the Federal Electoral Commission announced that Vojislav Koštunica of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) was just short of the majority of all votes cast needed to avoid a runoff against the runner-up and incumbent president Slobodan Milošević. However, the DOS coalition claimed that Koštunica had received 52.54% of the vote. This led to open conflict between the opposition and government. The opposition organised demonstrations in Belgrade on 5 October 2000, after which Milošević resigned on 7 October and conceded the presidency to Koštunica.The World Today Series: Nordic, Central and Southeastern Europe 2008 Thompson Wayne C. 2008 Stryker-Post Publications Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 978-1-887985-95-6 Subsequently released revised election results showed Koštunica with slightly over 51% of all votes cast.ElectionGuide.org: Serbia and Montenegro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306002937/http://www.electionguide.org/results.php?ID=949 In the Federal Assembly elections, DOS emerged as the largest faction in the Chamber of Citizens,Nohlen & Stöver, p1724 whilst the Socialist People's Party of Montenegro won the most seats in the Chamber of Republics.Nohlen & Stöver, p1726 The elections were boycotted by the ruling coalition of Montenegro, led by the Democratic Party of Socialists.https://rm.coe.int/168071abb9 Report on the local elections in Montenegro (15 May 2002) Council of Europe 2002 Background In the summer immediately following the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, opposition parties began discussing who could run as a united opposition candidate in the upcoming elections. In a meeting in Budva that summer, Branislav Kovačević and Nenad Čanak proposed that Ivan Stambolić run for president with the backing of a multi-party coalition.https://www.b92.net/info/vesti/pregled_stampe.php?yyyy=2003&mm=04&dd=05&nav_id=105299 Zoran Radovanović B92 Ivan Stambolic je prihvatio predsednicku kandidaturu sr 5 April 2003 19 April 2019 After the formal establishment of the DOS coalition, Stambolić met with Kovačević on several occasions. Several events occurred during the spring before the election that significantly contributed to a politically volatile environment; on 13 May 2000, the Chairman of the Executive Council of Vojvodina, Boško Perošević, was assassinated. Following his assassination, the Yugoslav Left announced it would propose a Law on the Defense of the State, which was scheduled to be assessed by the Parliament on 23 May 2000.https://www.vreme.com/arhiva_html/490/04.html Roksanda Ninčić Vreme Zašto JUL najavljuje Zakon o odbrani države sr 27 May 2000 19 April 2019 Meanwhile, state-affiliated news outlets accused the opposition of the terrorism and subservience to NATO.http://www.nspm.rs/politicki-zivot/dva-razmisljanja-o-5.-oktobru.html?alphabet=c#yvComment31148 Slobodan Antonić Nova srpska politička misao sr:Два размишљања о 5. октобру sr 5 October 2010 19 April 2019 The law was never passed through the Parliament. In June 2000, Stambolić told Kovačević that he would run as the DOS candidate as long as the coalition parties approved of his candidacy, and that he run face-to-face against Milošević as opposed to a different SPS candidate. On 6 July 2000, the parliament amended the constitution of Yugoslavia such that the president would no longer be selected by the Parliament, but would be directly elected instead.http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/411710/Izbori-koji-su-promenili-Srbiju Ankica Marinković Politika sr:Избори који су променили Србију sr 23 September 2018 19 April 2019 He also announced that the presidential and local elections in September would be held simultaneously; the constitution gave the president of Yugoslavia a four-year term, but Milošević organised presidential elections a year before his mandate expired. On 25 August 2000, Stambolić disappeared.https://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2000&mm=08&dd=25&nav_category=1&nav_id=10741 B92 NESTAO IVAN STAMBOLIC sr 25 August 2000 19 April 2019 Witnesses said that he had been kidnapped and "thrown into a white van" after walking from Košutnjak to a local restaurant. Meanwhile, the DOS coalition formally endorsed Koštunica's candidacy. Dragan Maršićanin claimed that "voters were looking for someone who was a supporter of democracy but also a proven patriot and a nationalist in the kindest sense", and expressed his opinion that Koštunica had the closest such profile.https://www.ekspres.net/politika/ekspres-intervju-dragan-marsicanin-iza-dindicevog-ubistva-stoji-niko Vanja Marinović, Nataša Anđelković EKSPRES INTERVJU, DRAGAN MARŠIĆANIN: Iza Đinđićevog ubistva stoji – niko! sr 10 October 2017 19 April 2019 12 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190412000854/http://www.ekspres.net/politika/ekspres-intervju-dragan-marsicanin-iza-dindicevog-ubistva-stoji-niko dead The Yugoslav economy was struggling at the time of the elections; only a year after the NATO bombing campaign, many of the international sanctions remained in place, and inflation was over 100%.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-28-mn-11486-story.html Paul Watson Los Angeles Times U.S. Aid to Milosevic's Foes Is Criticized as 'Kiss of Death' 28 August 2000 19 April 2019 In the winter before the elections, the European Union sent heating fuel to the cities of Niš and Pirot, which were governed by opposition parties.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-14-mn-43922-story.html Los Angeles Times EU Sending More Oil to Foes of Milosevic 14 December 1999 19 April 2019 Political scientist Michael Parenti asserted that the EU was ultimately denying such shipments to the remainder of Yugoslavia, offering humanitarian aid only to towns which were not governed by the ruling parties.Parenti Michael To Kill a Nation https://archive.org/details/tokillnationat00pare registration Verso 2000 1-85984-366-2 207 Kosovo Albanians did not vote, but they rooted Milošević's victory, hoping that it would lead to the further disintegration of Yugoslavia.https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Rooting-for-the-Enemy-Kosovo-Albanians-support-2704903.php Kosovo Albanians support Milosevic, hoping to hurt Yugoslavia SF Gate 2000 This along with voter fraud and strong Kosovo Serb support allowed Milošević to win an absolute majority in Kosovo. Presidential candidates CandidatePartySlobodan MiloševićSocialist Party of Serbia-Yugoslav Left coalitionVojislav KoštunicaDemocratic Opposition of SerbiaTomislav NikolićSerbian Radical PartyVojislav MihailovićSerbian Renewal MovementMiodrag VidojkovićAffirmative Party Campaign The DOS coalition asked the Serbian Renewal Movement to pull Vojislav Mihailović out of the race and to endorse their candidate, but Mihailović and his party refused.http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/08/21/yugoslavia.election/index.html CNN Alessio Vinci Alessio Vinci Milosevic criticised as poll puts opposition ahead 21 August 2000 19 April 2019 However, he added that if he were not to make it into a second round, that he would support Koštunica over Milošević in a runoff. 25% right "...we are really in the state where we are hostages--not only because of Milošević but because of some specific decisions in American policy which I do not understand entirely." Vojislav Koštunica, August 2000 Koštunica officially began his campaign in the Braničevo District on 30 August 2000.https://www.vreme.com/arhiva_html/505/07.html Vreme Biljana Vasić Prva nedelja predizborne kampanje predsedničkog kandidata DOS-a sr 9 September 2000 19 April 2019 On 2 September, he officially submitted his candidacy to the Federal Electoral Commission.https://www.vreme.com/arhiva_html/505/04.html Milan Milošević Vreme Milion i po potpisa sr 9 September 2000 19 April 2019 Over the course of his campaign, he emphasised that he would seek the removal of international sanctions on Yugoslavia, return the country to international institutions such as the United Nations, and solve conflicts between the constituent republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Although Milo Đukanović supported Stambolić's bid for the DOS candidacy, he refused to support Koštunica and boycotted the election entirely. Likewise, Vuk Drašković also refused to endorse him. Furthermore, Koštunica occasionally differed from the rest of the DOS coalition, such as in his criticism of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He stated that "there are many things about the Hague tribunal that are more about politics than law", adding that Milošević's indictment would not necessarily be a priority if he were elected. Involvement of the United States In October 1999, the National Democratic Institute hosted a conference at the Marriott Hotel in Budapest, inviting activists from the Serbian opposition. In the conference, Douglas Schoen advised opposition activists to campaign in a united coalition.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/12/11/us-advice-guided-milosevic-opposition/ba9e87e5-bdca-45dc-8aad-da6571e89448/?noredirect=on Michael Dobbs The Washington Post U.S. Advice Guided Milosevic Opposition 11 December 2000 19 April 2019 At the conference, activists were shown an opinion poll commissioned by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, depicting Koštunica with a greater probability of beating Milošević in an election than that of Zoran Đinđić. Koštunica's critical stance on the United States was also significant, as he and his party, Democratic Party of Serbia, categorically rejected US financial support. In spite of this, Koštunica was an inevitable beneficiary of US support, witting or not, as other parties associated with either the DOS coalition or the Otpor! movement received a sum of $41 million in financial support from the United States from 1999 to 2000. USAID provided 5,000 spray cans for anti-Milošević graffiti and the printing of 2.5 million stickers with the message "Gotov je", or "He's finished". The United States also paid for the training of electoral monitors in Szeged, Hungary, and subsequently paid monitors $5 each after the election. On 15 August 2000, the United States Department of State announced the opening of an office of Yugoslav affairs within the US embassy in Budapest. The Department of State added that the office "will consist of State Department and [USAID] officials and will work to support the full range of democratic forces in Serbia". The office's budget and specific role was not disclosed by diplomats at the time. Koštunica, already under attack by accusations of collaborating with foreign powers, called the office "the kiss of death". Results President Overthrow of Slobodan Milošević After polling stations closed on 24 September, multiple parties and authorities reported extremely contradicting results. In a conference for journalists only a few hours after polling stations closed, Nikola Šainović initially announced that Milošević was leading with 50% to Koštunica's 31% of first round votes. On 25 September, the DOS coalition as well as the Serbian Radical Party and Serbian Renewal Movement announced that Koštunica won as much as 55% of the first round vote. The Federal Electoral Commission did not issue any statement until 26 September, when they announced that Koštunica had an eight-point lead in the first round, but did not record the required 50% of all votes cast to avoid a runoff vote. Electoral documents were subsequently incinerated. When Đinđić announced that his party, on the basis of votes counted in 98.5% of polling stations, that there was a discrepancy of 400,000 votes between his party's records and that of the Federal Electoral Commission, demonstrations ensued throughout multiple cities in Serbia. 28 September figures 10 October figures Vojislav Koštunica Democratic Opposition of Serbia 2474392 2470304 Slobodan Milošević SPS–JUL–SNP 1951761 1826799 Tomislav Nikolić Serbian Radical Party 292759 289013 Vojislav Mihailović Serbian Renewal Movement 146585 145019 Miodrag Vidojković Affirmative Party 46421 45964 yellow 135371 137991 7249831 6871595 CESID, IFES Chamber of Citizens Democratic Opposition of Serbia 2040646 58 Socialist Party of Serbia 1532841 44 Serbian Radical Party 406196 5 Serbian Renewal Movement 238343 0 Socialist People's Party of Montenegro 104198 28 Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 47768 1 List for Sandžak 35821 0 New Communist Party of Yugoslavia 35742 0 Democratic Party of Vojvodina Hungarians 35585 0 Radical Party of the Left 35107 0 Party of Serbian Unity 33680 0 Radical Party of Serbia 22829 0 Workers' Movement – Radovan Radović Raka 12192 0 Serb People's Party 8048 2 Alliance of Citizens of Subotica – Vojvodina Opposition 7176 0 Sandžak People's Movement Coalition 6574 0 For a Richer and More Beautiful Serbia 6282 0 Sandžak People's Movement Coalition – Džemail Suljević 5265 0 Yugoslav Communists 5105 0 Vojvodina for Yugoslavia Coalition 4614 0 DEMOS – Movement for Europe 4182 0 Alliance for Peace 3603 0 Natural Law Party – Branko Čičić 2977 0 Ecology Party of Vojvodina 2888 0 Radomir Pavlović – Sisevac 2380 0 Alliance of Communists of Yugoslavia in Serbia – Communists of Subotica 2278 0 Alliance for Peace (Kosovo Democratic Initiative–Albanian Reform Party) 2212 0 Radicals of Serbia 2054 0 Yugoslav Communist Alliance – Montenegro Communists 1946 0 Yugoslav Left of Montenegro 1627 0 Natural Law Party – Jozef Viola 1260 0 Foreign Currency Savers Party 964 0 211981 6830464 CESID Chamber of Republics Serbia Democratic Opposition of SerbiaOne of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia's seats in the Chamber of Republics was assigned to Esad Džudžević of the List for Sandžak, due to a pre-election agreement.Sandžak: Region of Controlled Tensions, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, p. 18. 2092799 10 Socialist Party of Serbia–Yugoslav Left 1479583 7 Serbian Radical Party 472820 2 Serbian Renewal Movement 281153 1 Natural Law Party 102062 0 Radical Party of the Left 98822 0 226108 0 6395862 y Montenegro Socialist People's Party of Montenegro 103425 19 Serb People's Party 9494 1 Serbian Radical Party 5586 0 Yugoslav Left 1928 0 Yugoslav Communist Alliance 1243 0 Foreign Currency Savers Party 1025 0 Yugoslav Communists 797 0 Serb Party 698 0 2043 0 437876 CESID Notes References Category:Elections in Serbia and Montenegro Yugoslavia Category:2000 in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Category:Overthrow of Slobodan Milošević Yugoslavia Category:Foreign electoral intervention Category:United States involvement in regime change