SERBIA: Serbs set to vote in a referendum to endorse a new constitution

Serbs due to vote in a referendum to endorse a new constitution this weekend (October 28-29) are divided over its values, but have been warned that failure to pass the referendum will leave the country weak and unstable at a crucial point in its history. The document passed by parliament will replace Slobodan Milosevic's constitution from 1990. The new constitution was passed with a rare consensus among opposition parties, mainly because it enshrines Kosovo as an inalienable part of Serbia. It is a last-minute manoeuvre as the renegade province moves towards independence. The government touts the constitution as democratic and pro-European, but critics say too many concessions were made in support of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party. The Radical party is Serbia's strongest and some small liberal parties are urging a boycott of the referendum. Serbian President Boris Tadic said the constitution was the result of a necessary compromise between rival political forces. He said it was not perfect, but that not passing it would be catastrophic. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned this week that failure to pass the new constitution would have bleak and unforeseeable consequences. Legal experts say parliament would be dissolved and new elections called after a constitutional assembly had revised the constitution. The legal limbo could last up to a year and would tamper Belgrade's efforts to finish its economic reforms and work with the Hague war crimes tribunal, efforts it has put forward in a bid to improve talks with the European Union. A minimum of 51 percent is needed for the referendum to succeed. A poll this week showed that 49 percent of respondents planned to vote, and some 24 percent were undecided. "I think that it is the biggest obligation of all of us living in Serbia," Petar Bozic said about his intentions to vote. But over 46 percent of the population said nothing would change with the new constitution and only 7.7 percent believe it will strengthen Serbia's case of keeping Kosovo, which is likely to be granted independence by the West in a few months as its ethnic Albanian majority requests. "It is simply our obligation and duty. The fact that I am from Kosovo and Metohija, is self-explanatory with regards to the dilemma of voting in the referendum or not," Dusanka Jankovic from Kosovo said. A Belgrade student, Marko Nikolic said it was essential that people voted. "This is a unique opportunity. It's not only unique, but historical as well, for Serbia to show that it will not give up Kosovo and Metohija easily, even though a lot of people have already signed it off. We have to go to the referendum and vote, Yes," Marko Nikolic said. Kosovo is regarded to be the medieval heart of Serbian Orthodoxy, and has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombs drove out Serb forces accused of killing civilians while fighting a guerilla insurgency. Talks on the province's fate started in February. The prospect of losing Kosovo is the subject for the most heated debates in Serbian politics today, and is seen as the main reason for people to vote in the referendum. Not even pro-European parties are publicly conceding that Kosovo may be lost for fear of being labelled traitors and ultimately losing the election battle. The international community, keen to avoid a massive surge in nationalism that will send the Radicals to power, has hinted it might hold off deciding on Kosovo's final status until after elections are held, likely in late December.

ITN Source | October 27, 2006

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