Zoran Djindjic: Crusader for reform

Mr Djindjic's style sets him apart from President Kostunica

Serbia's prime minister-designate Zoran Djindjic has emerged as a pragmatic moderniser, who was in the vanguard of the street protests that finally ousted Slobodan Milosevic from power.

Mr Djindjic, 48, leads the Democratic Party - the largest group in the broad-based Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) reform alliance.

The DOS is widely expected to split eventually into smaller, more coherent groups, and Mr Djindjic has already feuded with the more cautious but highly popular Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica.

Mr Djindjic angered coalition partners with alleged attempts by associates to take over mismanaged state enterprises following the October uprising that ousted Mr Milosevic.

He is known to want a much faster pace of change in Serbia than Mr Kostunica, who observers say is more of a nationalist with a legalistic mindset.

'No revenge'

Mr Djindjic has said there will be no revenge against Mr Milosevic's ousted supporters, but there will be no amnesty either for people who committed crimes.

Djindjic spearheaded anti-Milosevic protests

The parliamentary elections marked the end not only of Milosevic but of all dictatorship in Serbia, he says.

Mr Djindjic was one of the stars of the anti-Milosevic street campaign in the winter of 1996-97 - unlike Mr Kostunica, who stayed away from the mass protests.

He hopes now to exploit Serbia's improved relations with its neighbours to rescue the country from its economic crisis.

He has already been in contact with Macedonia and Greece and even hopes to get Albania involved, despite continuing tensions in Kosovo.

Jailed by Tito

Mr Djindjic was born in Bosanski Samac, Bosnia, the son of a Yugoslav People's Army officer.

He graduated from Belgrade University's philosophy faculty, but was jailed by Yugoslavia's Communist leader Josip Broz Tito in 1974 for trying to organise an independent students' group.

After his release, he went to West Germany and earned a PhD in philosophy.

Spurning the Communists, he returned to Belgrade in 1989 and co-founded the Democratic Party.

Despite a reputation for championing liberalism and technocratic reform, Mr Djindjic adopted a hardline stand on the Bosnia war in the 1990s, even visiting the Bosnian Serbs' headquarters in Pale as they were besieging Sarajevo.

The opposition staged mass rallies daily in Belgrade

He backed the Bosnian Serbs' separatist campaign to break up the ex-Yugoslav republic.

After his party took 12% in elections in 1993 he held abortive talks with Mr Milosevic on forming a non-partisan government of experts. Mr Djindjic was criticised by senior associates, who accused him of thirsting for power at the expense of democracy.

In 1996, Mr Djindjic formed the Zajedno (Together) reform bloc with Vuk Draskovic and other opponents of the Milosevic regime.

Mass protests

Their street marches and rallies drew crowds numbering as many as 500,000 and continued for 88 days, despite assaults by the police.

Mr Djindjic became Belgrade mayor, but Zajedno split up in mid-1997 and Mr Djindjic lost the mayoralty in September.

After fleeing to Serbia's sister republic Montenegro during the Nato air strikes on Yugoslavia in 1999, Mr Djindjic returned to Belgrade to form DOS with 17 other parties.

Their new street crusade for democracy culminated in the overthrow of Mr Milosevic after he refused to accept election defeat.

Mr Djindjic is married and has two children, Jovana and Luka. He speaks German and English.