Yugoslavian elections face weak opposition from Serbs

Although turnout was slow into the afternoon, the boycott - called by two of three main opposition leaders - looked unlikely to be strong enough to invalidate the vote. Those opposing the election describe it as a farce, heavily weighted in favor of Milosevic's ruling Socialist Party.

Milosevic was constitutionally barred from running for a third term as Serbian president, but has so much influence and maintains such firm control over the Serb media that his choices for president and parliament were considered sure bets. Preliminary results were expected today.

Nearly halfway through the polling, election officials estimated that 25 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots. The independent radio station B 92, which has supported the opposition, said only 10 percent had voted.

The vote would be invalid only if 51 percent of the 7 million eligible voters failed to participate.

The elections were expected to leave the 250-seat Serbian parliament dominated by a coalition of ex-Communists now known as the Socialists and a leftist party headed by Milosevic's wife, Mirjana Markovic. Milosevic's protege, Zoran Lilic, was expected to win the presidency.

That would complete a deft job swap Milosevic engineered this summer. The Yugoslav parliament elected him in July to the largely ceremonial post of president of Yugoslavia, which consists of Serbia and tiny Montenegro. That job had been held by Lilic.

Milosevic, the only East European leader to have survived the anti-communist revolutions of 1989 and the post-communist upheaval, voted yesterday in Belgrade's Dedinje district with his wife and son, Marko.

''Serbia needs to maintain its peace and stability, to continue on the road of recovery and economic development and maintain the course of reforms,'' a confident-looking Milosevic said. ''I hope these elections will confirm this.''

The elections also could seal the demise of the opposition coalition that undermined Milosevic last winter with several local election victories. Milosevic annulled the results, setting off three months of daily protests. Combined with international pressure, Milosevic was forced to accept the opposition victories.

But the three coalition leaders disagreed about whether to participate in yesterday's elections, dividing their once-unified followers.

Momcilo Pavic, who supports the boycott, was distributing leaflets with the sarcastic message: ''I'm going to vote because I believe there will be no electoral theft.''

''It's only the fools and those who are naive who are voting today,'' Pavic said.

International monitors were watching over Sunday's election, unlike the November local elections. However, those calling for a boycott say the 170 foreigners from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were too few to prevent vote rigging at the 9,827 polling stations across Serbia.

Belgrade mayor Zoran Djindjic, leader of the Democratic Party, has led the boycott call. Vuk Draskovic, his former coalition ally, was running for the Serb presidency. Neither Draskovic nor another opposition personality, ultranationalist Vojislav Seselj, had much chance of success.

During the summer, the old Serb parliament - dominated by Milosevic's allies - increased the number of voting districts from nine to 29. That would cut into opposition support in cities and give proportionally more weight to votes in rural areas, where the Socialists are strong.

Ethnic Albanians in the southern province of Kosovo also were boycotting the vote, but for very different reasons. Ethnic Albanians, who make up one-fifth of Serbia's population, want an independent state.

''This vote has absolutely nothing to do with us,'' said Fazli Belaj, a 71-year-old ethnic Albanian lawyer in Pristina, capital of the southern province of Kosovo. ''It's about the Serbs. We have a completely different culture, a completely different way of life.''

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