Greetings From Serbia-Tadic Wins

And the independent polling centers have counted and incumbent Boris Tadic of the Serbian Democratic Party wins his second term. Tonight people are celebrating and I can hear the president and his people in the Terazija over half a mile a way celebrating. I was, at first, quite surprised by the calm, but then BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! and fireworks were going off shaking the earth and the air with their explosions. People are yelling and singing and waving flags in the street, honking their horns and celebrating that, tonight at least, they have won and do not have to worry about running for the border.


(photo courtesy of B92)

Although I told a friend of mine that I was too lazy to get dressed (I was already in my pajamas) to go to the Terazija, in the end I changed my mind, threw on some clothes, and ran down there. I went sans camera for a couple reasons, I didn't want to be jostled by the crowd and drop it, and I've never been a fan of crowds; particularly crowds of frenetic people with whom I do not share a language. So I went simply as a sideline observer and even at that was swept up in the enthusiasm. Even though President Tadic had long since retreated by the time I made it, there was no lack of people milling about and carousing and I wasn't even able to get near the Terazija.

In the few short years Serbians have been voting for their leaders, this election garnered one of the highest voter turn outs ever and one of the closest elections. It seems, that while 30% of the eligible to vote population declined to do so, enough people felt that, while maybe they aren't exactly happy with life under Tadic, they awknowledge that bad is better than worse. That is, after all, how Kostunica won in 2000-it was the only way to get rid of Mladic. Maybe five years from now there will be a new candidate, someone who really is better for Serbia. We can only hope until then.

Greetings from Serbia - A Gilded Cage

I had myself a pretty nice and fairly boring Sunday. Went to Mass to the "English language" church whose priest, while now different from the ridiculously thick-accented french priest of my previous visits, was a ridiculously thick accented Italian so soft spoken that, especially with the interference of the bad sound system, I could barely understand. And while he did manage to remind everyone that Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, he neglected to say when Mass would be-if there would indeed be one. Sigh; I shall get up and got the the 7 AM Mass at the Serbian church (ironically I understand about as much of that Mass as I do the "English" one). Gotta get myself ashed,and remember not to make any major appointments with the Embassy, the relator, or any lawyers for Wednesday...

So my gilded cage...today was the second round elections for Serbia's president. As mentioned previously, the favorite to win after the first round was the challenger, Tomislav Nikolic (whose painful smile in his campaign posters brings to mind a serial killer) of the Radical Party. I've spent all weekend with my friends here listening to their dire predictions of a return to life as it was in the 90's in Nikolic won. Wondering if they should go out and buy Euros so as to avoid the inevitable devaluation of the dinar. During the 90's the inflation here was so bad that Serbia was printing bills that were for an unbelievable 50,000,000,000, yes 50 Billion, dinars. My friend still has some and promises to show me his collection. Especially because radical Nikolic was so favored my friends advised me to stay in, or at least close to my hotel, for as much of today as possible. Perhaps they were overreacting but as I had no desire to repeat the deep twinges of nerves I experienced in a crowd of 25,000 people angry at America, I took their advice. Actually I didn't mind so much. I booked myself into a suite here this time and it's really lovely. The first hotel room I had here actually scared me. I didn't think it advisable to put my bare feet on the floor, the bathroom door didn't close, the walls were incredibly thin, and I could never really work the door lock. The second was better (and in the same hotel where I'm currently staying), but was small and very, well, in need of serious refurbishment. Now however, nary a complaint from me:











So as you can see, it wasn't so bad spending a day in my gilded cage. Heck, they can keep me here for the entire six months of this program for all I care!