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- <text id=93TT2596>
- <title>
- Jan. 04, 1993: Re-electing the Past
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1992
- Jan. 04, 1993 Man of the Year:Bill Clinton
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- THE WEEK, Page 11
- WORLD
- Re-electing the Past
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p>Serbs vote for Milosevic, defiance and the continuing catastrophe
- </p>
- <p> In any normal election, the odd would probably have been
- against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The U.S. had
- publicly charged him with war crimes, the international
- community was tightening economic sanctions on his country, and
- the inflation rate was running at 20,000% annually. But none of
- that mattered. Milosevic, the virulent nationalist, was
- re-elected with 55% of the vote in the race for the Serbian
- presidency.
- </p>
- <p> Monitors from other European states said the campaign had
- been "tainted by shameless propaganda in the state-run media,"
- which labeled Milosevic's opponent, the Serbian-born American
- businessman Milan Panic, a spy and a traitor. The poll watchers
- also reported that election lists had been rigged in Milosevic's
- favor and that 5% of potential voters were prevented from
- casting their ballots.
- </p>
- <p> With nationalist sentiment the ruling emotion, the
- war-crimes charges may have added cachet to some candidates.
- Washington had linked ultra-nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj
- and Serb militia chief Zeljko ("Arkan") Raznjatovic to Bosnian
- atrocities. Both were elected to the Serbian parliament. Though
- British Prime Minister John Major joined George Bush in pushing
- for enforcement of the U.N.-ordered no-fly zone over Bosnia,
- the Serbs showed no sign of backing off. The elections only
- emphasized their continuing defiance and kept Milosevic firmly
- in control.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-