Milosevic's men still tumbling

Opposition students can rejoice at the removal of Milosevic's placemen

Supporters of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic are going down like ninepins all over Serbia, in a wave of resignations motivated by popular anger.

Beta news agency reported that the entire Milosevic-appointed management of Belgrade University had been sacked and a temporary administration appointed.

Resignations

Yugoslav Prime Minister

Serbian Interior Minister

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister

Serbian Higher Education Minister

Serbian Tourism Minister

Belgrade University board

Novi Sad University rector and deans

Socialist Party leaders in Nis

Under the old administration, deans at the university had been involved in angry confrontations with students.

B2-92 radio later reported that Otpor, the student movement which played a key role in opposition to Milosevic, had urged students to return to faculty to support the newly-elected deans.

The rector and board of Novi Sad university in northern Serbia were also reported to have resigned along with all but two deans.

And an independent trade union in the city took over the National Lottery, formerly a cash cow for Milosevic, Beta said.

Ministers quit

Several more ministers in the Serbian Government are said to have resigned.

Tanjug news agency quoted Higher Education Minister Jevrem Janjic as saying that he felt a "moral obligation" to resign following the deans' departure.

Some socialists want a break with Markovic's JUL party

Tourism Minister Slobodan Cerovic also quit.

And the doctors' trade union took over the Health Ministry, following the resignation on Monday of Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Milovan Bojic, fearing the collapse of the healthcare system.

Party woes

Even Milosevic's own Socialist Party may be showing signs of cracking.

B2-92 reported that the party chairman and his deputy in the southern city of Nis had resigned and demanded Milosevic's resignation from the party leadership.

They also urged the party to distance itself from the Yugoslav United Left, the party of Mr Milosevic's wife, Mirjana Markovic - a call echoed by Socialist Party founder and Milosevic-era Yugoslav President, Zoran Lilic.