Serbian political crisis grows

Yugoslavia's leaders are now bitter rivals

By the BBC's Paul Anderson in Belgrade

Splits in the coalition which ousted Slobodan Milosevic from the Serbian leadership have deepened with the resignation of the parliamentary speaker.

Dragan Marsicanin, an official in the party of the Yugoslav federal president, Vojislav Kostunica, quit after a stormy parliamentary session in which deputies traded insults and accusations over everything from corruption to reform.

Djindjic: Ready to ride out the political storm

Mr Marsicanin, the speaker of Serbia's increasingly torn parliament, walked before he was pushed ahead of a vote on his dismissal.

He had accused the party of the Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, of vote-rigging in its efforts to push through a bill on labour reform.

Mr Marsicanin's resignation has exposed how deep the rift has grown between the two biggest parties in the coalition which last year toppled Slobodan Milosevic from power.

It has also signalled a new phase of political instability for which the Serbian people have no appetite.

Before his resignation, Mr Marsicanin hinted he could call for a vote of no-confidence in Mr Djindjic's reformist government.

Coalition cracks

The prime minister said he believed he could ride the storm, but some political commentators are saying the only way out of the crisis is for his and Mr Kostunica's parties - the two biggest - to make a clean break and hold early elections.

That though would lead to delays in the process of reform and would put off the foreign investors Serbia is desperately trying to attract.

No-one ever expected the coalition to last forever, particularly given the very public feud between Mr Djindjic and Mr Kostunica. But the process of disintegration began slowly some months ago and now appears to be gathering speed.

The coalition leadership may meet in the coming days to discuss its future.