OPPOSITION TAKES OVER BELGRADE CITY COUNCIL.Byline: The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Serbia's opposition coalition took control of the Belgrade City Council on Friday, the biggest prize so far in its fight to topple President Slobodan Milosevic and a main goal of its nearly three months of street protests. The leader of the Democratic Party, Zoran Djindjic, 44, a philosopher-turned-politician and one of three leaders of the demonstrations, was elected mayor, the third non-Communist to hold the post since 1945. ``I hope with the support of the citizens we will be able to finally say that Belgrade has become a European metropolis,'' Djindjic said after taking the chair of the rowdy council session that was often obstructed ob·struct tr.v. ob·struct·ed, ob·struct·ing, ob·structs 1. To block or fill (a passage) with obstacles or an obstacle. See Synonyms at block. 2. by taunts from the ultra-nationalist allies of Milosevic. By trying to improve the daily life in the run-down run·down n. 1. A point-by-point summary. 2. Baseball A play in which a runner is trapped between bases and is pursued by fielders attempting to make the tag. adj. also run-down 1. a. city where buses barely function and the archaic phone system is crumbling, Djindjic said he hopes to use the council as a ``stepping stone'' for victory against Milosevic and his Socialist Party Socialist party, in U.S. history, political party formed to promote public control of the means of production and distribution. In 1898 the Social Democratic party was formed by a group led by Eugene V. Debs and Victor Berger. in parliamentary elections due at the end of the year. Friday's proceedings, which swept the opposition from the relatively easy task of maintaining an enthusiasm for street protests to actually running a city government, culminated 88 days of protests, which in the main ended last week. The demonstrations were sparked by Milosevic's decision to annul an·nul tr.v. an·nulled, an·nul·ling, an·nuls 1. To make or declare void or invalid, as a marriage or a law; nullify. 2. opposition victories Nov. 17 in 14 of Serbia's 19 largest cities, including Belgrade. The endurance of the protesters and defections from his camp of supporters, including businessmen, the Serbian Orthodox patriarch and politicians, left Milosevic considerably weakened. He finally agreed to reinstate To restore to a condition that has terminated or been lost; to reestablish. To reinstate a case, for example, means to restore it to the same position it had before dismissal. the results this month, and Belgrade was the last of the 14 city governments that the opposition finally took over. |
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