Serbia and Montenegro, the last Communist-ruled Yugoslav republics, on Sunday hold multiparty elections that could decide whether the country stays together or disintegrates. In the country's largest republic, Serbia, the first free vote in more than 50 years pits the Socialists, formerly the Communists, against a host of center-right nationalist parties. In traditionally pro-Communist Montenegro, the country's smallest republic, the vote is being contested by the ruling Communists and 10 other parties, including some who seek union with neighboring Serbia. In the struggle to shape the country's future, the western republics of Croatia and Slovenia, where center-right parties ousted Communists in spring elections, want more independence from the federation and have threatened to secede. They are pitted against Serbia and Montenegro, whose politicians generally favor a strong central government, although some have accepted the possibility that the country could break up. The race between Socialist leader Slobodan Milosevic and his bitter rival, Vuk Draskovic of the Serbian Renewal Movement, for Serbia's powerful presidency is the most important in Sunday's elections. Milosevic has so far refused to negotiate with rival Croatia and Slovenia on the country's future. But Draskovic has suggested there might be no stopping the country's breakup. ``If I become president, I would immediately negotiate with Croatia and Slovenia in order to deflate this horrible balloon of hatred in Yugoslavia,'' Draskovic said in a recent interview. ``If we fail to reach an agreement about living together, we will set up separate states.'' The Serbian Reneval Movement poses the biggest challenge to the Socialists. It demands the restoration of capitalism and the return of Serbia's glory as a dominant Balkan state. The outcome of the vote in Serbia could decide a decade-long struggle for power in Yugoslavia, which is being wracked by ethnic and political tensions between its six constituent republics and two provinces. With tensions in Yugoslavia running high, U.S. intelligence has predicted the country could split in 18 months and civil war could break out. Milosevic and Draskovic face 30 lesser rivals running for Serbia's presidency. Also at stake are 250 seats in the republic's Parliament which are contested by 44 parties. Pre-election polls indicated the Socialists were slightly ahead of Draskovic's party. But they also indicated nearly 40 percent of the republic's 6,865,445 eligible voters were still undecided. Serbia's opposition claims that the republic's acrimonious election campaign has claimed five lives. The Socialists say those were not politically motivated deaths. Opposition leaders repeatedly have alleged that the Socialists were preparing to rig the elections to stay in power. They say that since April the Communist authorities have stopped registering deaths in Serbia to enter the non-existing votes in the coming elections. The Socialists deny any wrongdoing. In last year's single-party Serbian elections, unregistered voters, who in some cases were under age, were allowed to cast ballots. As a result, Milosevic won with 104 percent of the votes in some areas. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close 12 hours later. First official results of the elections in the two republics are expected early this week. Runoff elections in all districts where one candidate did not get at least 50 percent of the votes are scheduled for Dec. 23.
