Veteran Montenegrin politician Svetozar Marovic was elected by parliament today as the first president of Serbia and Montenegro, the newest European state which emerged last month from the remnants of Yugoslavia.
Veteran Montenegrin politician Mr Svetozar Marovic was elected by parliament today as the first president of Serbia and Montenegro, the newest European state which emerged last month from the remnants of Yugoslavia.
Mr Marovic, a 48-year-old lawyer, is a member of the Democratic Socialist Party (DPS) of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic.
He was the sole candidate for the post.
Out of 112 deputies present at the session of the 126-seat parliament, 65 voted for Marovic, while 47 deputies -- mostly from Serbian and Montenegrin opposition parties -- were against his candidacy.
Marovic's election marked the end of the term in office of Vojislav Kostunica, president of the previous Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who replaced hardline leader Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.
The new president will preside over the Council of Ministers -- responsible for defence, foreign affairs, finance, economic relations and human rights -- and the Supreme Defence Council, the country's highest military authority.
Marovic has five days to propose his cabinet, which must be approved by the assembly.
The parliament, which held its inaugural session on Monday, consists of 91 deputies from Serbia, with a population of some 10 million, and 35 from the much smaller Montenegro, with 650,000 people.
The power in the central parliament is shared between the DPS and Serbia's ruling coalition, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS). Its deputies will serve a two-year term, to be followed by general elections in 2005.
The European Union pushed Serbia and Montenegro to remain allied for the sake of stability in the Balkans, fearing Montenegro's push for independence would encourage other regional separatist movements.
Under the new constitution, Serbia and Montenegro may hold referendums on independence in three years' time, an option the latter has already said it would pursue.
AFP