Serbia's largest opposition party decided yesterday to propose its own candidate for presidential election next month, risking a split in the vote against Mr Slobodan Milosevic.
"Yes, I am a presidential candidate and I hope I will not only be the candidate of the largest opposition party but also the candidate of the complete united Serbian democratic opposition," Mr Vojislav Mihajlovic said.
"This gives us a real opportunity to fight Slobodan Milosevic, who is still holding a tight grip on power, and win the coming elections," he said.
Mr Mihajlovic, the 49-year-old mayor of Belgrade, was speaking after a break in a meeting of party leaders from the Serbian Renewal Movement led by Mr Vuk Draskovic.
The rest of Serbia's fragmented opposition back a rival candidate, Mr Vojislav Kostunica. One leader said on hearing of the Serbian Renewal Movement's decision that it was damaging, but not fatal for an opposition victory.
"It is bad news for us," said Mr Zarko Korac, leader of the opposition Social Democratic Union, adding that Mr Mihajlovic was not a good candidate and could not expect their support.
"We don't see him as a winner for two reasons: he's not so well known to the public and there's a problem with the local government in Belgrade," Mr Korac said, referring to public criticism of the running of municipal services in the capital.
Mr Draskovic, a controversial figure accused by other opposition leaders of helping Mr Milosevic behind the scenes, presaged his party's decision on Saturday when he praised Mr Mihajlovic and launched a bitter attack on Mr Kostunica.
"Mihajlovic is a man who as president would bring us peace, the rule of law and co-operation with the world," said Mr Draskovic, who had earlier told an opposition rival he had proposed the low-key mayor because he was good-looking.
He called Mr Kostunica, a Serbian nationalist, a man "who frightens many citizens of Serbia, as his policies are in fact the same as those of Slobodan Milosevic".
Mr Draskovic's party normally follows its leader and main crowd-puller, but this time some officials were worried that proposing a rival candidate would hinder their own chances of re-election in simultaneous local elections.
Other opposition leaders have said they would bar Mr Draskovic's party from joining them for the local vote, also due on September 24th, if it chose Mr Mihajlovic. Mr Korac said they would meet today to discuss this.
According to one opposition source, Mr Draskovic also wanted almost half the places on the voter lists for his party.
"It's insane what they're asking for," the source said.
Mr Korac said the opposition front was broken but not destroyed by the decision, since if the vote went to a second round, Mr Kostunica would certainly beat Mr Milosevic.
Mr Draskovic himself did not attend his party's meeting.
In June, he said he had survived a second assassination attempt masterminded by Mr Milosevic in Montenegro and since then he has not returned from the smaller republic, saying he would be in even greater danger in Serbia.