Serbs vote on new constitution

29/10/2006

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Voters went to the polls Sunday (29 October) for the second day of a referendum on the new Serbian constitution. Turnout in Serbia -- excluding Kosovo -- was 17.8% on the first day, according to the Republican Election Commission. It said the highest turnout (21.01%) was in Belgrade, while the lowest (14.65%) was in Vojvodina. In Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians were excluded from voter lists due to past election boycotts, turnout was as high as 37.2% in Serb-populated areas. Over 50 per cent of all eligible voters must participate in the referendum for the constitution to be approved.

No major incidents were reported, though several hundred people gathered in Belgrade to protest the document, which they believe contains serious flaws. Though the draft's preamble describes Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia, the international community has signaled that this would not affect current UN-led efforts to resolve Kosovo's future status. (Reuters, AP, AFP, Politika, RTS, B92 - 29/10/06; UPI, Beta - 28/10/06; KosovaLive - 27/10/06)