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95-659: The Montenegrin Navy was established in 2006 following the secession of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro . Nearly all of the navy's equipment was inherited from the armed forces of the State Union—as Montenegro contained the entire coastline of the former union, it retained practically the entire naval force. Both are to be converted to patrol boats. RTOP-405 recommissioned as P105 Durmitor patrol boat. No funds assigned as yet for conversion of RTOP-406 into

190-641: A CIA official who worked in the Balkans, said Milosevic was a "genocidal maniac"; when asked whether U.S. intelligence supported protests against the Serbian president, he said "It was a broad-spectrum involvement." David Shimer quotes an unnamed senior U.S. administration official in 2000 who took umbrage at the revelations of former U.S. intelligence officers: "I can’t talk about what we did or didn’t do. I’m just not going to talk about it...They may not take their oaths and legal obligations seriously, but I do." A DOS victory

285-621: A June 2000 meeting in Berlin that she wanted to see Milošević removed from power. Homen also met at the U.S. Embassy in Hungary with former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia William Dale Montgomery . According to Montgomery, "Milošević was personal for Madeleine Albright, a very high priority." He added: "She wanted him gone, and Otpor was ready to stand up to the regime with a vigor and in a way that others were not. Seldom has so much fire, energy, enthusiasm, money — everything — gone into anything as into Serbia in

380-427: A collapse. Sanctions on fuel meant that fuel stations across the country ran out of petrol, and foreign assets were seized. The average income of inhabitants of FR Yugoslavia was halved from $ 3,000 to $ 1,500. An estimated 3 million Yugoslavs (Serbs and Montenegrins) lived below the poverty line, suicide rates increased by 22% and hospitals lacked basic equipment. Along with this, supply links were cut, which meant that

475-648: A country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia). The state was founded on 27 April 1992 as a federation comprising the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro . In February 2003, it was transformed from a federal republic to a political union until Montenegro seceded from

570-557: A decade been a symbol and bastion of Milošević's rule. When their studios were taken over, the station was quickly renamed Novi RTS ("New RTS") as a sign that the regime had lost power. Although the protest was mostly peaceful, without a larger escalation of violence, 65 people were injured in the riots and two people died: In the time between elections and the protest, Milošević said that he would gladly resign but only when his term expired in June ;2001. Due to pressure caused by

665-583: A growing desire for independence emerged among the Albanian majority population. Already, an unrecognised Republic of Kosova had emerged with underground institutions. In 1996, the Kosovo Liberation Army , an Albanian militia promoting Kosovar independence, launched attacks against Serbian police stations, killing at least ten Serbian policemen in direct attacks between 1996 and 1998. The low level insurgency eventually escalated. After Slobodan Milošević

760-653: A military offensive by the Croatian Army , and NATO involvement in the Bosnian War, President Slobodan Milošević agreed to negotiate, as the Serbian position within Bosnia had become substantially worse. Under threat of economically crippling the Republika Srpska, he took over negotiating powers for all Serbian secessionist movements, as well as FR Yugoslavia. The ensuing Dayton Agreements , signed between representatives from

855-517: A new constitution in 1992, which established the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia essentially as a rump state , with a population consisting of a majority of Serbs. The new state abandoned the Communist legacy: the red star was removed from the national flag, and the communist coat of arms was replaced by a new coat of arms representing Serbia and Montenegro. The new state also established the office of

950-457: A patrol boat. The rank insignia of commissioned officers . The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel . State Union of Serbia and Montenegro Montenegro: The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro , known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , FR Yugoslavia ( FRY ) or simply Yugoslavia , was

1045-532: A potential electoral opponent. His decomposed body was found three years later in March ;2003. The four officers who had kidnapped him were sentenced. Milošević was charged for initiating the assassination. Soon after the announcement, the anti-government youth movement Otpor! led the campaign to topple the administration and introduce a transparent democracy. To unify opposition, eighteen parties in Serbia formed

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1140-490: A second round between Koštunica and Milošević would take place. The vote was largely boycotted in Montenegro and by Kosovo Albanians (not under Yugoslav control). Yet, Milošević officially won by a large margin in these parts of the country. These unexpected results provoked stronger accusations of election fraud and led DOS to call for peaceful protests to topple the government. Some obvious irregularities could be found in

1235-399: A strategic advantage, Yugoslav Army units found themselves in a tactical advantage against KLA units which lacked proper training. VJ units themselves lacked morale, and attacks were often directed against civilian targets rather than military targets. 863,000 Albanian civilians were forcibly expelled between March and June 1999 from Kosovo. 169,824 Serb and Romani civilians were estimated by

1330-414: A strategy to strip the leader of his legitimacy, turn his security forces against him, and force him to call for elections, the result of which he would not acknowledge. In 1998, a dozen students met to form Otpor! (Serbian for "resistance"). Analysing the mistakes of the 1996–97 protests , they realised they needed more effective organisation, strategy, planning, recruiting, and everything necessary for

1425-531: A sustained fight. Galvanised by outrage over new laws that imposed political control of their universities and harassment of independent media, the Otpor students called for the removal of Milošević and the establishment of democracy and the rule of law. Prior to this, Milošević was cracking down on opposition, non-government organisations and independent media. From 1991 onwards there were campaigns of civil resistance against his administration that were to culminate in

1520-418: A union with Serbia, Montenegro, and Krajina, thus he supported a union which would secure the unity of Serbs and Bosniaks. Milošević continued negotiations with Zulfikarpašić to include Bosnia and Herzegovina within a new Yugoslavia, however efforts to include entire Bosnia and Herzegovina within a new Yugoslavia effectively terminated by late 1991 as Izetbegović planned to hold a referendum on independence while

1615-482: Is entirely landlocked, with the coastline belonging to Montenegro. The climate is similarly varied. The north has a continental climate (cold winters and hot summers); the central region has a combination of a continental and Mediterranean climate ; the southern region had an Adriatic climate along the coast, with inland regions experiencing hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland. Belgrade , with its population of 1,574,050,

1710-411: Is the largest city in the two nations: and the only one of significant size. The country's other principal cities were Novi Sad , Niš , Kragujevac , Podgorica , Subotica , Pristina , and Prizren , each with populations of about 100,000–250,000 people. Demographics of FR Yugoslavia in 1992 FR Yugoslavia had more demographic variety than most other European countries. According to the 1992 census,

1805-524: The Assembly of Serbia on 24 July 1991. Under the Law, the municipalities, cities and settlements make the bases of the territorial organization. Serbia was divided into 195 municipalities and 4 cities , which were the basic units of local autonomy. It had two autonomous provinces: Kosovo and Metohija in the south (with 30 municipalities), which was under the administration of UNMIK after 1999, and Vojvodina in

1900-669: The Battle of Vukovar , as well as the Kosovo War , and played combat roles during ethnic insurgencies . Following the Kosovo War, the VJ was forced to evacuate Kosovo, and in 2003 it was renamed the ''Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro.'' Following the dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro, units from each army were assigned to the independent republics of Serbia and Montenegro, as recruitment in

1995-751: The Bulldozer revolution , which saw his government overthrown, and replaced by one led by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia and Vojislav Koštunica , which also joined the UN. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ended in 2003 after the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia voted to enact the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro , which established the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. As such,

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2090-440: The Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, with Vojislav Koštunica as the candidate to confront Milošević. Apart from this, two major opposition parties, Serbian Radical Party and Serbian Renewal Movement also had candidates ( Tomislav Nikolić and Vojislav Mihailović , respectively), but the main battle of the elections was the one between Milošević and Koštunica. The election campaign lasted for about two months and

2185-886: The Deutsche Mark and continued to use it until the Mark fell into disuse to be replaced by the Euro . Serbia continued to use the Yugoslav Dinar, renaming it the Serbian Dinar . The complexity of the FRY's political relationships, slow progress in privatisation, and stagnation in the European economy were detrimental to the economy. Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal discipline, were an important element in policy formation. Severe unemployment

2280-482: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after the general election on 24 September 2000 and culminated in the downfall of Slobodan Milošević 's government on 5 October 2000. As such, it is commonly referred to as the 5 October Revolution ( Serbian : Петооктобарска револуција, Petooktobarska revolucija ) or colloquially the Bulldozer Revolution ( Serbian : Багер револуција, Bager revolucija ), after one of

2375-730: The International Monetary Fund in December 2000, Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate with other world nations by rejoining the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development . The smaller republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the Milošević era. Afterwards, the two republics had separate central banks whilst Montenegro began to use different currencies – it first adopted

2470-537: The Kolubara mines on 29 September, which produced most of Serbia 's electricity. The protest reached its height on 5 October 2000. Several hundred thousand protesters from all over Serbia arrived in Belgrade to protest, chanting "Gotov je!" ("He's finished!") Unlike previous protests, there was no large scale police crackdown. The parliament was partially burned during the protests. Ljubisav Đokić (1943-2020)

2565-468: The Kosovo War . According to a 2004 estimate, the State Union had 10,825,900 inhabitants. According to a July 2006 estimate, the State Union had 10,832,545 inhabitants. The state suffered significantly economically due to the breakup of Yugoslavia and mismanagement of the economy, and an extended period of economic sanctions. In the early 1990s, the FRY suffered from hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar. By

2660-570: The federal border region (mainly Novi Pazar in Serbia, and Rožaje in Montenegro). It is important to note that the Montenegrin population at the time often considered themselves to be Serbs. More than half of Kosovo's pre-1999 Serb population (226,000), including 37,000 Romani , 15,000 Balkan Muslims (including Ashkali , Bosniaks , and Gorani ), and 7,000 other non-Albanian civilians were expelled to central Serbia and Montenegro, following

2755-421: The 1990s, which had prevented agreement being reached on the disposition of federal assets and liabilities, particularly the national debt. The Government of Yugoslavia supported Croatian and Bosnian Serbs in the wars from 1992 to 1995. Because of that, the country was under economic and political sanctions. War and sanctions resulted in economic disaster, which forced thousands of its young citizens to emigrate from

2850-524: The Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats formed autonomous territories. Violence between ethnic Serbs and Bosniaks soon broke out. Thus, FR Yugoslavia was restricted to the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, and became closely associated with breakaway Serb republics during the Yugoslav Wars. The FRY was suspended from a number of international institutions. This was due to the ongoing Yugoslav Wars during

2945-685: The Dayton Agreement, the UN Security Council voted to lift most sanctions, but they were reissued following the outbreak of an Albanian insurgency in Kosovo. The lasting economic impact can be attributed to the eventual downfall of FR Yugoslavia and Slobodan Milošević's government, as well as a deeper desire in Montenegro to leave Yugoslavia. In the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija ,

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3040-491: The Federal Electoral Committee official results. For example, the sum of the numbers of valid and invalid votes was not equal to the number of voters; the sum of the numbers of the voters voting at the polling stations and the voters voting at home exceeded the total number of voters; the sum of the numbers of the used and the unused ballot papers was short by 117,244 in comparison to the number of eligible voters,

3135-438: The Federal Republic had 10,394,026 inhabitants. The three largest named nationalities were Serbs (6,504,048 inhabitants, or 62.6%), Albanians (1,714,768 inhabitants, or 16.5%), and Montenegrins (519,766 inhabitants, or 5%). The country also had significant populations of Hungarians , ethnic Yugoslavs , ethnic Muslims , Romani , Croats , Bulgarians , Macedonians , Romanians and Vlachs , and others (under 1%). Most of

3230-409: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia , resulted in each state being recognised as sovereign states. It also provided recognition for Serbian institutions and a rotating presidency within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Serbian populated areas of the former Socialist Republic of Bosnia were absorbed into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus

3325-924: The Kosovo Liberation Army, including conducting raids during the course of the 1997 Albanian civil unrest , and drug dealing. Despite this, substantial evidence now shows that the CIA had aided in training units of the KLA, although not necessarily providing them with arms and funding. In 1998, the Kosovo War began, following increased open combat with Yugoslav police and army units deployed by Milošević. The KLA found itself heavily outnumbered and outgunned in open combat, and had to use guerrilla tactics. Serbian police and VJ units attacked KLA outposts, attempting to destroy them, as KLA units attempted to avoid direct confrontation and use terrorist attacks, including bombings and ambushes, to weaken Yugoslav control. Although unable to gain

3420-660: The Serb rebel-held territories in Croatia agreed that they would form a new "third Yugoslavia". Efforts were also made in 1991 to include the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the federation, with negotiations between Miloševic, Bosnia's Serbian Democratic Party , and the Bosniak proponent of union – Bosnia's Vice-president Adil Zulfikarpašić taking place on this matter. Zulfikarpašić believed that Bosnia could benefit from

3515-449: The Serbian population within Bosnian politics. Later on, growing separatism within the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija , a region of Serbia heavily populated by ethnic Albanians , resulted in an insurrection by the Kosovo Liberation Army , an Albanian separatist group. The outbreak of the Kosovo War reintroduced international sanctions , as well as eventual NATO involvement in

3610-452: The Serbian proclamation of independence on 5 June ended the confederation of Serbia and Montenegro and thus the last remaining vestiges of the former Yugoslavia . The Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia, representing FR Yugoslavia (1992–2003) was composed of two chambers: the Council of Citizens and the Council of Republics. Whereas the Council of Citizens served as an ordinary assembly, representing

3705-534: The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and the establishment of the independent republics of Serbia and Montenegro, turning Serbia into a landlocked country . Some consider this the last act that ended the breakup of Yugoslavia. At the country's founding in 1992 following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia) , the country's official name was the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FR Yugoslavia), as it claimed to be

3800-782: The UNHCR's Belgrade office to have fled from Kosovo-Metohija to either Serbia proper , the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina , or the constituent Republic of Montenegro by 20 June 1999. Out of 10,317 civilians, 8,676 Albanians, 1,196 Serbs and 445 Roma, Bosniaks, Montenegrins and others were killed or went missing in connection with the war between 1 January 1998 - 31 December 2000. The Serbian government attributed 1,953 Serbian, 361 Albanian and 266 other civilian deaths or disappearances from 1 January 1998 - 1 November 2001 to “Albanian terrorism in Kosovo-Metohija”. The international community

3895-531: The United Nations, accepting that it was not the sole legal successor to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and was allowed to join the UN. Milošević would later be put on trial for corruption and war crimes, especially during the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, although he died in prison before his trial could end in 2006. His culpability, especially of

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3990-475: The West (in 2000, the average monthly salary in the country was $ 30). Researcher David Shimer wrote that most Serbs did not realize that the U.S. was directing the opposition's electoral strategy and funding the creation and distribution of campaign materials, although this was no secret. Among other things, U.S. President Bill Clinton instructed the CIA to direct efforts to prevent the Serbian leader from winning

4085-421: The Yugoslav Wars ended, and international sanctions on FR Yugoslavia were lifted. However, Slobodan Milošević would not achieve his dreams of admitting FR Yugoslavia to the United Nations as the successor state of SFR Yugoslavia, as an 'outer wall' of international sanctions prohibited this. Following the adoption of economic sanctions by the international community against FR Yugoslavia, its economy experienced

4180-438: The Yugoslav dinar experienced a major hyperinflation , leading to inflation reaching 313 million percent, the second worst hyperinflation in history. Many parts of FR Yugoslavia, including all of Montenegro, adopted the Deutsche Mark and Euro currencies instead of the Yugoslav dinar. International sanctions crippled the Yugoslav economy, and prevented it from playing an active role in aiding Serb breakaway republics. Following

4275-437: The Yugoslav economy could not grow, and imports or exports needed for industries could not be obtained, forcing them to close. The crippled state of the Yugoslav economy also affected its ability to wage war, and after 1992, Yugoslavia had an extremely limited military role within the Yugoslav Wars, due to Yugoslav Army (VJ) units being unable to operate without oil or munitions. On top of this, starting in 1992 and until 1994,

4370-489: The Yugoslav parliament, it was now to be directly elected via the two-round voting system of presidential elections with a maximum of two terms. Many onlookers believed that Milošević's intentions for supporting such reforms had more to do with holding power than with improving democracy. On 27 July 2000, the authorities announced that the early elections were to be held 24 September 2000, although Milošević's term wouldn't expire until 23 July 2001. The elections for

4465-485: The army was on a local, rather than Federal, level. Montenegro inherited the small navy of FR Yugoslavia, due to Serbia being landlocked. FR Yugoslavia was composed of two political units, consisting of two Republics, and two subordinate Autonomous Provinces to Serbia, as following: The territorial organisation of the Republic of Serbia was regulated by the Law on Territorial Organisation and Local Self-Government, adopted in

4560-472: The bombings. In the aftermath of the Kosovo War, a low level insurgency continued in parts of Southern Serbia ( Presevo valley ), which had Albanian minorities. However, this insurgencts ( UCPMB ) lacked resources, and the Yugoslav Armed Forces and police were able to put down the insurgency. The string of defeats, as well as a complete collapse of the Yugoslav economy, led to mass unpopularity of

4655-471: The campaign against Milošević, organizing meetings with opposition leaders outside the country and "providing them with cash" inside Serbia. Also, he said, "Many of the key players who became senior figures in the follow-on government continued to meet with us and continued to tell us that it was our efforts that led to their success." CIA Deputy Director John E. McLaughlin noted that "I know stuff about that, but I’m not able to talk about it." Douglas Wise,

4750-541: The charges brought against him in the context of the ICTY, remains a subject of controversy within Serbia. In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement regarding continued co-operation, which, among other changes, promised the end of the name Yugoslavia (since they were part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). On 4 February 2003, the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia created a loose state union or confederacy —the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, although Yugoslavia

4845-471: The city of Belgrade presents a district of its own. Montenegro was divided into 21 municipalities . Serbia and Montenegro had an area of 102,350 square kilometres (39,518 sq mi), with 199 kilometres (124 mi) of coastline. The terrain of the two republics is extremely varied, with much of Serbia comprising plains and low hills (except in the more mountainous region of Kosovo and Metohija) and much of Montenegro consisting of high mountains. Serbia

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4940-630: The city proper) and "other" (suburban). Competences of cities and their municipalities were divided. Municipalities were gathered into districts , which are regional centres of state authority, but have no assemblies of their own; they present purely administrative divisions, and host various state institutions such as funds, office branches and courts. The Republic of Serbia was then and is still today divided into 29 districts (17 in Central Serbia, 7 in Vojvodina and 5 in Kosovo, which are now defunct), while

5035-444: The conflict . The conflict ended with the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 , which guaranteed economic and political separation of Kosovo from FR Yugoslavia, to be placed under UN Administration . Economic hardship and war resulted in growing discontent with the government of Slobodan Milošević and his allies, who ran both Serbia and Montenegro as an effective dictatorship. This would eventually cumulate in

5130-476: The country, Ćosić was forced out of office in 1993 due to his opposition to Serbian President Slobodan Milošević . Ćosić was replaced by Zoran Lilić who served from 1993 to 1997, and then followed by Milošević becoming Yugoslav President in 1997 after his last legal term as Serbian president ended in 1997. FR Yugoslavia was dominated by Milosevic and his allies, until the presidential election in 2000. There were accusations of vote fraud and Yugoslav citizens took to

5225-575: The country. FR Yugoslavia acted to support Serbian separatist movements in breakaway states, including the Republic of Serbian Krajina and the Republika Srpska , and sought to establish them as independent Serbian republics, with potential eventual reintegration with FR Yugoslavia. However, the Government of FR Yugoslavia would treat these republics as separate entities, and gave unofficial, rather than active, aid by transferring control of units from

5320-526: The essential dictatorship of Slobodan Milošević and his allies in the Socialist Party of Serbia . In September 2000, amongst accusations of electoral fraud, large scale protests struck the nation. Milošević was eventually removed from power, as his Socialist Party of Serbia lost in the federal elections to the Democratic Opposition of Serbia . In the aftermath, a new government in Yugoslavia negotiated with

5415-556: The establishment of a UN mission to Kosovo, as well as the complete withdrawal of units of the Yugoslav National Army. As such, Kosovo remained an Autonomous Province of Serbia, but politically and economically independent. The damage to FR Yugoslavia was immense, with the government estimating $ 100 billion in infrastructure damage, as well as 1,200 Serbian and Albanian civilians or soldiers confirmed dead. Economists have estimated at least $ 29 billion in direct damages caused by

5510-517: The ethnic diversity was situated in the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina , where smaller numbers of other minority groups could be found. The large Albanian population was chiefly concentrated in Kosovo , with smaller populations in the Preševo Valley , and in the Ulcinj municipality in Montenegro. The Muslim ( Slavic Muslims , including Bosniaks and Gorani ) population lived mostly in

5605-487: The first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes. His role in the Yugoslav Wars led to international sanctions against Yugoslavia, which had a devastating impact on the Yugoslav economy and society, while NATO bombing significantly damaged the country's infrastructure. While the overthrow of Milošević was reported as a spontaneous revolution, there had been a year-long battle involving thousands of Serbs in

5700-401: The largely non-violent revolution of October 2000. As the end of his first term in office of the president of Yugoslavia approached (previously, he had been elected president of Serbia , in two terms, from 1989 to 1997), on 6 July 2000, the rules of the election of the president were changed. Whilst the president of Yugoslavia had previously been chosen for one term only by the legislature, in

5795-521: The mid-1990s, the FRY had overcome the inflation. Further damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry caused by the Kosovo War left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. Since the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević in October 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government has implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive market reform program. After renewing its membership in

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5890-411: The months before Milošević went". The International Republican Institute trained 400 activists outside the country, who returned to Serbia and trained another 15,000 people to observe polling stations inside the country. On election day, the opposition was able to get a minimum of two trained observers to each polling station in Serbia. Each observer's participation was paid at $ 5 - money provided by

5985-571: The most memorable episodes from the day-long protest in which a heavy equipment operator charged the Radio Television of Serbia building, considered to be symbolic of the Milošević regime's propaganda . Milošević's rule has been described by observers as authoritarian or autocratic , as well as kleptocratic , with numerous accusations of electoral fraud , political assassinations, suppression of media freedom and police brutality . He became

6080-408: The name Yugoslavia was consigned to history. A growing independence movement in Montenegro, led by Milo Đukanović meant that the new constitution of Serbia and Montenegro included a clause allowing for a referendum on the question of Montenegrin independence, after a period of three years had passed. In 2006, the referendum was called, and passed, by a narrow margin. This led to the dissolution of

6175-424: The north (with 46 municipalities and 1 city). The territory between Kosovo and Vojvodina was called Central Serbia . Central Serbia was not an administrative division on its own and had no regional government of its own. In addition, there were four cities: Belgrade, Niš , Novi Sad and Kragujevac , each having an assembly and budget of its own. The cities comprised several municipalities, divided into "urban" (in

6270-451: The now-defunct JNA to the secessionist movements. In this way, FR Yugoslavia avoided potential accusations of committing acts of aggression against the breakaway republics recognised by the international community. Slobodan Milošević , the President of Serbia , did not consider himself to be at war with the breakaway republics of Yugoslavia. Following the transfer of Yugoslav Army units,

6365-409: The number of eligible voters was different from the one announced before the elections and has differed in the presidential, federal and local elections results. All of these discrepancies provoked massive outrage. The results were declared false immediately after Milošević was removed, and revised official results were released shortly afterwards. The new results were practically the same, except for

6460-454: The number of total votes and the votes for Milošević, both of which were lower by 125,000–130,000 votes, thus giving Koštunica an absolute, if narrow, first-round victory; Koštunica finished with just 11,843 votes over the threshold to avoid a runoff (4,916,920 voters cast their votes, so 2,458,461 votes were needed for a "50% of turnout + 1 vote" first round victory; Koštunica got 2,470,304 votes ). The protests initially started with strikers at

6555-512: The people of FR Yugoslavia, the Council of Republics was made equally by representatives from the federation's constituent republics, to ensure federal equality between Serbia and Montenegro. The first president from 1992 to 1993 was Dobrica Ćosić , a former communist Yugoslav partisan during World War II and later one of the fringe contributors of the controversial Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts . Despite being head of

6650-499: The president, held by a single person, initially appointed with the consent of the republics of Serbia and Montenegro until 1997 after which the president was democratically elected. The President of Yugoslavia acted alongside the Presidents of the republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Initially, all three offices were dominated by allies of Slobodan Milosevic and his Socialist Party of Serbia . On 26 December 1991, Serbia, Montenegro, and

6745-413: The presidential election. According to the American president, "There’s a death threshold, and Milošević crossed it." Vince Houghton, who later became historian of the International Spy Museum, said the U.S. had no intention of allowing Milošević to remain in power. John Sipher, who became station chief in Serbia immediately after Milosevic's ouster, said the agency spent "certainly millions of dollars" on

6840-492: The protests, Milošević resigned on 5 October 2000. For a year leading up to the elections, the United States-funded consultants played a crucial role in the anti-Milošević campaign. The key symbol of the campaign was the slogan Gotov je! ( Serbian Cyrillic : Готов је! , meaning "He is finished!"), created by Otpor!. Part of the U.S. funding of the opposition (a reported $ 41 million) included 2.5 million stickers with

6935-519: The slogan and 5,000 spray cans for anti-Milošević graffiti. Material was channeled by the U.S. Department of State through QUANGOs . In the months leading up to the election, the National Endowment for Democracy provided funding to opposition parties and media, unions and student groups, with Otpor! being the largest beneficiary. Slobodan Homen, head of international affairs at Otpor, recalled how Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said at

7030-498: The sole legal successor state of the SFR Yugoslavia . The United States government however viewed this claim as illegitimate and thus, as early as 1993, referred to the country as Serbia and Montenegro . The 2003 constitution changed the state name to "Serbia and Montenegro". During the collapse of SFR Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the two Serb majority republics, Serbia and Montenegro, agreed to remain as Yugoslavia, and established

7125-399: The standard of the war-torn country. He even said that during Milošević's regime he was the owner of a company which operated with success, but that post-Milošević politicians made such unhealthy economic conditions, that his business failed and he went bankrupt, even selling his iconic wheel loader and living on 180-euro social benefits. Đokić died 11 July 2020. The Bulldozer Revolution

7220-520: The state during the course of the Yugoslav Wars and Kosovo War . This also resulted in hyperinflation between 1992 and 1994 . FR Yugoslavia's involvement in the Yugoslav Wars ended with the Dayton Agreement , which recognized the independence of the Republics of Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as establishing diplomatic relationships between the states, and a guaranteed role of

7315-466: The state of FR Yugoslavia ceased to play an important military role in the Yugoslav Wars, barring conflicts on the border with Croatia, such as the Siege of Dubrovnik . It instead provided economic and political aid, to avoid provoking the international community further, and to preserve FR Yugoslavia as the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, rather than 'Greater Serbia.' In 1995, following Operation Storm ,

7410-530: The streets and engaged in riots in Belgrade demanding that Milošević be removed from power. Shortly afterwards Milošević resigned and Vojislav Koštunica took over as Yugoslav president and remained president until the state's reconstitution as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Federal Prime Minister Milan Panić became frustrated with Milošević's domineering behaviour during diplomatic talks in 1992 and told Milošević to "shut up" because Milošević's position

7505-579: The successor state to this decision (as well as many others made during Milošević's regime), in practice, after the Bulldozer Revolution, nothing has been done in this direction, as the country is a candidate for the European Union . The Armed Forces of Yugoslavia ( Serbian : Војска Југославије/Vojska Jugoslavije, ВЈ/VJ) included ground forces with internal and border troops , naval forces , air and air defense forces , and civil defense . It

7600-515: The union in June 2006, leading to the full independence of both Serbia and Montenegro . Its aspirations to be the sole legal successor state to SFR Yugoslavia were not recognized by the United Nations , following the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 777 , which affirmed that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had ceased to exist, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

7695-499: The upper house of the federal parliament, Council of Citizens ( Veće građana ), as well as the local elections were also scheduled to be held on the same date. On 25 August 2000, Ivan Stambolić , a former mentor and political ally of Milošević, was mysteriously kidnapped and detained from his home and was summarily executed in Fruška Gora . The hit was believed to have been initiated by Milošević so he could prevent Stambolić from being

7790-414: Was a wheel loader operator who became the main symbol of the overthrow. Đokić turned on his wheel loader and filled a public broadcaster building in Belgrade with it. The loader served as a kind of elevator and bullet protection. Đokić had a spinal deformity and at the time he was a timber yard and construction material warehouse owner. The building's tenant, Serbian state television RTS , had for

7885-686: Was a key political and economic problem. Corruption also presented a major problem, with a large black market and a high degree of criminal involvement in the formal economy. Serbia, and in particular the valley of the Morava is often described as "the crossroads between the East and the West " – one of the primary reasons for its turbulent history. The valley is by far the easiest land route from continental Europe to Greece and Asia Minor . Major international highways going through Serbia were E75 and E70 . E763 / E761

7980-441: Was a new state. All former republics were entitled to state succession while none of them continued SFR Yugoslavia's international legal personality. However, the government of Slobodan Milošević opposed any such claims, and as such, FR Yugoslavia was not allowed to join the United Nations. Throughout its existence, FR Yugoslavia had a tense relationship with the international community , as economic sanctions were issued against

8075-459: Was created. It was unicameral and was made up of 126 deputies, of which 91 were from Serbia and 35 were from Montenegro. The Assembly convened in the building of the old Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia, which now houses the National Assembly of Serbia . In 2003, after the constitutional changes and creation of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro , a new President of Serbia and Montenegro

8170-493: Was elected President of Yugoslavia in 1997, having served his maximum two terms as President of Serbia, he ordered Yugoslav Army (VJ) units to move into Kosovo to aid in the suppression of the insurrection. The governments of FR Yugoslavia and the US declared the Kosovo Liberation Army a terrorist organisation, following repeated deadly attacks against Yugoslav law enforcement agencies. US intelligence also mentioned illegal arms sources of

8265-641: Was elected. He was also president of the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro . Svetozar Marović was the first and last President of Serbia and Montenegro until its breakup in 2006. On April 12, 1999, the Federal Assembly of the FR Yugoslavia passed the "Decision on the accession of the FRY to the Union State of Russia and Belarus ". Although Serbia is, according to constitutional and international law,

8360-512: Was established from the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the military of SFR Yugoslavia . Several Bosnian Serb units of the VJ were transferred over to the Republika Srpska , during the course of the Bosnian War , leaving only units directly from Serbia and Montenegro in the armed forces. The VJ saw military action during the Yugoslav Wars , including the Siege of Dubrovnik and

8455-402: Was extremely tense, with numerous incidents, accusations of treason, independent media shutdowns and even murders. The vote took place on 24 September 2000. The DOS coalition reported that Vojislav Koštunica won over half of the votes, enough to defeat Milošević in a single round. The government-controlled Federal Electoral Committee claimed that no candidate won over 50% of the votes and that

8550-500: Was guaranteed in parliamentary elections in December , where they achieved a two-thirds majority. On 1 April 2001, Milošević was detained by Serbian police and later transferred to The Hague to be prosecuted by the ICTY . He died in his cell on 11 March 2006, a few months before the conclusion of his four-year trial . Soon after the overthrow, Ljubisav Đokić started opposing the new government, saying it had done almost nothing to improve

8645-623: Was not approved by the UN Security Council, for fear of a veto by Russia, which would cause controversy as to its legality . The UN Security Council adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1160 , renewing arms and oil sanctions against FR Yugoslavia, and thus crippling its economy. The effects of continuous aerial bombardment and sanctions cost the Yugoslav economy hundreds of billions of USD and eventually forced Milošević's government to comply with an agreement put forward by an international delegation. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 led to substantial autonomy for Kosovo, and

8740-402: Was officially subordinate to his position. Milošević later forced Panić to resign. However, this situation changed after 1997 when Milošević's second and last legal term as Serbian President ended. He then had himself elected Federal President, thus entrenching the power that he already de facto held. After the federation was reconstituted as a State Union, the new Assembly of the State Union

8835-476: Was quick to respond, issuing a peace proposal to Yugoslavia in 1999. The agreement was seen as an essential ultimatum by NATO to Yugoslavia, and this rejected by the Yugoslav government. NATO responded in March 1999 by ordering airstrikes against Yugoslav military targets and infrastructure, including roads, railroads, administrative buildings and the headquarters of Radio Television Serbia . NATO's bombing campaign

8930-513: Was still commonly used. A new constitutional charter was agreed to provide a framework for the governance of the country. On Sunday, 21 May 2006, Montenegrins voted in an independence referendum , with 55.5% supporting independence. Fifty-five percent or more of affirmative votes were needed to dissolve the confederation and Yugoslavia. The turnout was 86.3% and 99.73% of the more than 477,000 votes cast were deemed valid. The subsequent Montenegrin proclamation of independence on 3 June 2006 and

9025-776: Was the most important route connecting Serbia with Montenegro. The Danube , an important international waterway, flowed through Serbia. The Port of Bar was the largest seaport located in Montenegro. Overthrow of Slobodan Milo%C5%A1evi%C4%87 Anti-government protesters led by Democratic Opposition of Serbia Civic organizations: [REDACTED] Federal government of Yugoslavia Government parties: Vojislav Koštunica Zoran Đinđić Velimir Ilić Goran Svilanović Čedomir Jovanović Srđa Popović Slobodan Milošević Momir Bulatović Mirko Marjanović Radomir Marković Mirjana Marković President of Serbia and Yugoslavia Elections Family The Overthrow of Slobodan Milošević began in

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