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- C WORLD, Page 40World NotesYUGOSLAVIABlows Against The Party
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- For the second time in four months, demonstrators in
- Yugoslavia have toppled regional leaders. After two days of
- giant street protests by as many as 100,000 workers and
- students in the city of Titograd last week, the entire state
- and Communist Party leadership of the Republic of Montenegro
- tendered its resignation. The people responded by dancing in
- the streets, chanting, "Montenegro has risen" and "Down with
- armchair politicians."
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- Last October a similar popular uprising deposed the
- leadership of the ethnically diverse province of Voivodina. But
- when Montenegrins tried to follow suit a few days later, riot
- police brutally crushed their demonstrations. This time police
- did not intervene as protesters demanded that the government
- step down for abusing power and mismanaging the economy.
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- Montenegrins have good reason for their discontent: 25% of
- workers are jobless, and one-sixth of the population lives below
- the poverty level. Supporters of Serbian leader Slobodan
- Milosevic hailed the resignations as a victory in their drive to
- change the constitution. Montenegrins identify very closely with
- the Serbians, considering them almost cousins. Montenegro's
- rebellion is expected to intensify economic unrest and rekindle
- tension between Serbia and the northern republics.
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