Serbia threw off the 13-year-rule of President Slobodan Milosevic yesterday in a revolution that began with riot police brandishing guns and ended with them hugging protesters.
As darkness fell on Belgrade, thousands of jubilant demonstrators packed the city centre for a wild celebratory party, after storming and burning the federal parliament and regime-controlled state television.
Mr Milosevic's fate was sealed when the army said it would not intervene. Amid unconfirmed reports that he had fled the capital, opposition sources said Mr Milosevic was being protected by troops in a bunker in the village of Beljanica, 25 miles west of the town of Bor, which is close to the Romanian and Bulgarian borders.
Mr Zoran Djindjic, a senior opposition official, warned that Mr Milosevic "might be preparing some counter attack".
The new president, Dr Vojislav Kostunica, appeared on television to outline his democratic vision for Yugoslavia and promise that government-run media would be open to all political parties. He appealed for normality and said: "A new phase has started today, one where power will be changed with elections."
But the people-power protesters who toppled Mr Milosevic were not yet ready to be magnanimous in victory. As the new president spoke, they were busily sacking the offices of Mr Milosevic's political party, the Socialist Party of Serbia. Policemen tried to prevent them, firing tear gas, but, outnumbered by the crowd, they retreated to the building's restaurant.
The fall of the old regime was hailed by President Clinton. "The people of Serbia have spoken with their ballots; they have spoken on the street; I hope the hour is near when their voices will be heard and we can welcome them to democracy, to Europe, to the world's community," he said in Princeton University, New Jersey.
Today in Belgrade, Dr Kostunica's position is expected to be ratified by the Yugoslav parliament. At the height of yesterday's street protests, he urged calm but told the people: "I will stay with you tonight and you will stand by me."
The crowd cheered him, crazily. "Vojo, Vojo," they cried - waving flags wildly and singing in scenes broadcast by state television.
Dr Kostunica's speech to the crowd followed an extraordinary day that began with violence outside the federal parliament and saw repeated - and ultimately successful pushes by demonstrators - to enter the parliament and state television building.
They were initially repulsed with batons, tear gas and gunfire before police conceded - and many went on to join demonstrators. The uprising was, however, substantially without major incidents of violence. Last night, local news agencies reported two people had been killed and more than 60 injured.
But nothing could dampen the euphoria of the revolution. "Dear liberated Serbia," Dr Kostunica declared before a cheering crowd, "We are living the last twitches of Milosevic's regime. Democracy has happened in Serbia."
US Secretary of State Mrs Madeleine Albright, on a stopover at Shannon Airport, wished the uprising well. The images of Belgrade "are the most amazing pictures since the fall of the [Berlin] Wall. . . The people of Serbia deserve a peaceful exit to a horrible two decades".
Earlier in Belgrade as protesters turned their attention to the seat of Mr Milosevic's propaganda, the headquarters of RTS state television, a group of police emerged, took off their helmets and joined the uprising.
State TV then went off the air, and came back on the air with the words "This is the programme of the new Radio Television Serbia" appearing on the screen.
The takeover of parliament and state TV were two of many instances in which police gave up fighting their people and instead joined them. Even members of the feared anti-terrorist police were seen mingling peacefully with protesters.