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20 years ago, on September 24, elections were held in which the united opposition defeated Slobodan Milosevic. The refusal of the then ruling Socialist Party of Serbia to accept sparked a post-election crisis. The crisis ended on October 5 after massive protests in Serbia, and Vojislav Kostunica assumed the presidency.
Wars, international isolation, and economic recession marked ten years of rule by Slobodan Milosevic and his Socialist Party of Serbia. The Milosevic regime did not shy away from confronting dissidents. As the repression grew, after several failed attempts, the opposition found a way to act together, and in 2000, 19 parties formed the Democratic Opposition of Serbia.
On Sunday, September 24, 2000, presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and provincial and local elections in Serbia. DOS proposes Vojislav Kostunica as Milosevic’s opponent.
“The government is aware that it is losing these elections, that the people have rid themselves of fear and that we can say what they think of the government and what they will say in these elections,” Kostunica said at the time.
In those elections for president of the FRY, Vojislav Kostunica obtained 50.24 percent of the votes, Milosevic 37.15. Speaking of the environment before the elections, one of the DOS leaders, Zarko Korac, says that they were not sure what Milosevic would do to preserve power and that they felt threatened, but that the whole country was in danger.
“We were isolated from the civilized world, that is, zero, nothing. We thought that our country was completely in danger, but in the end the voters thought the same. Then, the voters realized that it was not an ordinary election, but a fight for his country he literally survives, “Korac said.
Not wanting to accept defeat, the Socialist Party of Serbia and Slobodan Milosevic provoked a post-election crisis. On September 27, protests began throughout Serbia over an attempted robbery in the elections and two days later, the Kolubara miners went on strike. The DOS called on the citizens to meet in front of the Federal Assembly on October 5 in defense of the electoral results. After one of the most massive demonstrations, Slobodan Milosevic admitted defeat, and the new president of FR Yugoslavia became Vojislav Kostunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia.
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