More power cuts as Yugoslav protests grow

Yugoslavia's week of protest continues with fresh public rallies

In this story: Strikers: protesting for 'human rights' 'Threatening life and property' RELATED STORIES, SITES

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Extensive power cuts are expected across Serbia on the third day of a country-wide campaign of civil disobedience against Slobodan Milosevic.

Miners who have downed tools to protest against the Yugoslav President vowed on Wednesday to continue their strike despite increasing pressure from the authorities to return to work.

Opposition leaders are hoping up to 100,000 protesters will fill Belgrade's streets on Wednesday and Thursday in fresh public demonstrations designed to force Milosevic from office.

IN-DEPTH Yugoslavia Decides 2000   • Overview   • The road ahead   • Key players   • Party profiles   • Shrinking of Yugoslavia   • Maps/At-a-glance

VIDEO CNN's Nic Robertson reports on how the presidential election in Yugoslavia is being viewed in Bosnia and Herzegovina Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Alessio Vinci reports on protests in Yugoslavia Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Nic Robertson interviews Milo Djukanovic, President of Montenegro Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Alessio Vinci reports on the people's protest of the upcoming runoff election (October 2) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Browse the video archive of CNN's Yugoslavia election coverage     IMAGE GALLERY Images from the historic vote     MESSAGE BOARD Peace in the Balkans     RESOURCES Yugoslavia election information

Garbage collectors have also joined the strike resulting in rubbish piling up on Belgrade's streets.

The opposition alliance called for the week of action after Yugoslavia's federal election commission ruled a second round of voting was needed to decide who will win the presidential election.

The commission said the alliance's candidate, Vajislav Kostunica, had fallen just short of the necessary 50 percent of the vote needed to the presidency in the first round of voting.

But the Democratic Opposition of Serbia -- a bloc of opposition parties -- says their candidate had more than 50 percent support and is refusing to take part in the second round which is scheduled for Sunday.

The opposition has now lodged a formal complaint to the federal court against the Federal Election Commission claiming it made a "series of mistakes" in the election count.

It calls for the "termination of the mandate" of Milosevic and asks the commission to annul the election results, determine the "real results" and revoke its decision to call a second round of elections.

The complaint, obtained by CNN, alleges inconsistencies in figures such as the drop in Milosevic's vote from 40.23 percent to 38.62 percent.

The complaint says Milosevic was awarded an extra 150,000 votes in Kosovo while 350 additional "phantom" polling stations sprang up across the country.

The court was holding an emergency sitting on Wednesday to consider the claim.

At Kolubara, the location of Serbia's largest coal mining complex, 4,500 miners have downed tools since Friday forcing power cuts in at least half a dozen cities, including Serbia's largest centres, Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad.

"This is not a political strike but a strike for the protection of elementary human rights," Zoran Ristic, a member of the strike committee, said.

Striking workers sat or stood in small groups, some of them reluctant to talk to outsiders.

Those who did said they were not afraid. "They have taken away our right to vote, we think it is more important than not having electricity," one man said.

Among the signatures on a declaration in support of the strike was one of the mine's directors, a member of Milosevic's Socialist Party (SPS).

"He's thinking with his own head. The system of SPS and Milosevic's Serbia is crumbling. High officials of the SPS are joining us," said Ristic.

Opposition leader Vajislav Kostunica: 'flames of change will engulf the whole country'

Kostunica, addressing a crowd of miners in the town, said: "We are only days away from getting rid of Milosevic, when the flames of change will engulf the whole country."

After two days of protests blocked roads and closed schools and shops across the country, the campaign was set to spread to the state postal and telecommunications service, where workers announced a warning strike from noon to 2 p.m. (1000-1200 GMT) on Wednesday.

They said they would extend it if the "real" first round poll results were not issued by the end of the day, the independent Beta news agency reported.

In an attempt to curb the disturbances a senior prosecutor has proposed that 11 striking miners and two Serbian opposition leaders should be detained on suspicion of sabotage, state television reported on Tuesday.

Dragoljub Stosic, head of the public transport trade union, had been arrested, according to the independent radio station B2-92.

Authorities are cracking down on protesters

The new measures also issued directives to force striking miners to return to work and suggested the government could use force against those it accuses of "threatening life and property."

Kostunica is considering an invitation to go to Moscow to discuss the Yugoslav situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Milosevic has turned down any offers of mediation.

In a rare television appearance Milosevic made it clear he would not concede defeat and is continuing preparations for a second round of voting.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

Yugoslavia gets tough with protesters
October 3, 2000
Milosevic TV appeal dismissed as an 'act of panic'
October 2, 2000
Defiant Milosevic lashes opponents
October 2, 2000
Albright says 'Milosevic must go'
October 1, 2000
Russia ready to mediate in Yugoslav poll crisis
September 30, 2000

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
Serbian Ministry of Information
Movement for Democratic Serbia
United Nations Mission in Kosovo

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