Anti-Milosevic Rallies Persist in Yugoslavia
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — Student protesters sang and danced Wednesday in a three-day standoff against a cordon of riot police blocking their march against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.
The protests against Milosevic, which are beginning their 10th week, started after authorities annulled opposition victories in Nov. 17 local elections.
This week, Milosevic’s ruling Socialists began legal proceedings against the Belgrade electoral commission, which has twice insisted that the opposition won the City Council in the Serbian capital, which is also the capital of Yugoslavia.
On Wednesday, the commission hit back against the Socialists, giving the opposition four more seats for a total of 64 of the 110 seats on the council. That compares to 27 for the Socialists.
The protests have shrunk recently, after Milosevic deployed heavily armed riot police.
Students also organized contests for the best-looking officer and protester. But the light mood wasn’t pervasive: Officers beat up an older man who tried to join the students.
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