Yesterday, the Serbian Assembly (parliament), on the recommendation of Speaker Natasa Micic, acting president of the country, approved a new cabinet headed by Zoran Zivkovic. The new prime minister, a former interior minister of the defunct Federal Yugoslavia, will also take Djindjic's place as chairman of the Democratic Party until the next elections in 2004. Out of 250 deputies, 128 people voted for 42-year-old Zivkovic. Hundreds of deputies were against it, including representatives of the Democratic Party of Serbia, led by Vojislav Kostunica. Zivkovic intends to maintain the state of emergency in Serbia “until full settlement” with the bandits involved in the murder of Zoran Djindjic. Most likely until the end of April. As of yesterday, 750 suspects had already been arrested. The new government of Serbia will continue the reform course of the deceased prime minister, including cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Zivkovic, who intends to pay special attention to improving the equipment of the police force and reorganizing the judicial system, inherited a difficult legacy - according to experts, Serbia will see a drop in economic growth from 5 to 3.5%.
