Serbia during and after Milosevic

Abstract

Classification of Milošević's regime as authoritarian, and Đinđić's government as democratic represents a prevailing oversimplification that misses out the nature and development of democracy in Serbia. The author argues that Milošević's regime was a unconsolidated form of democracy because the opposition and elections mattered a great deal in it. Still, it never became a consolidated democracy but rather evolved as a combination of authoritarian and democratic elements. In the second part of the article, the author discusses the first post-Milošević government headed by Đinđić, concluding that it had also failed in strengthening of institutions, but that this failure, in difference, was due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of economic reforms. This, however, still does not justify the use of authoritarian means. .

Klasifikacija Miloševićevog režima kao autoritarnog i Đinđićeve vlade kao demokratske predstavlja uobičajeno pojednostavljivanje kojem izmiče prava priroda i razvoj demokratije u Srbiji. Autor dokazuje da je Miloševićev režim bio nekonsolidovani oblik demokratije jer su i opozicija i izbori bili od velikog značaja. Ipak, Srbija nije postala konsolidovana demokratija, već se pre razvijala kroz preplitanje autoritarnih i demokratskih elemenata. U drugom delu članka autor raspravlja o prvoj vladi nakon Miloševića koju je vodio Đinđić, zaključujući da je i ova vlada takođe podbacila u ojačavanju institucija, ali da je ovaj neuspeh, u ovom slučaju, bio uslovljen pogrešnim shvatanjem značenja ekonomskih reformi. Ovo, međutim, još uvek ne opravdava upotrebu autoritarnih sredstava. .