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School of Language Studies

Russian and East European Seminar Series

Monday 5 May 2008, 4.00 p.m. in Building 110, Room W3.03.

 

Bob Miller, Visiting Fellow, TCSP, RSPAS

 

The Serbian Parliamentary and Local Elections of 11/5/08: The Parties, Issues and Possible Outcomes

There are, at last count, 342 registered political parties, movements and groupings in Serbia, 21 of which are in the republic parliament in various coalitions. The increasingly visible splits in the ruling Democratic Coalition have made the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early elections inevitable. The main point of discord is, of course, the issue of Kosovo independence, which most of the political parties have refused to accept, but beyond that there was little consensus on what should be done—politically, diplomatically or even militarily—to deal with the new international and domestic situation now that the Kosovars have actually declared their independence and obtained substantial international recognition. However, there are a number of other issues directly or indirectly related to or triggered by the Kosovo situation, most notably, how to behave toward Brussels, Washington, NATO and Russia. That, in turn, raises further questions about the nature and direction of economic, political and judicial reform and the dire state of the Serbian economy. The main focus of the discussion will be on how the various parties and coalitions are responding to these issues, how they promise to deal with them and the likely prospects for Serbia under possible alternative scenarios.