By
The Associated Press
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - Facing the likelihood of defeat, President Slobodan Milosevic sought yesterday to force a runoff despite calls from home and abroad to accept the outcome and end his 13 years in power.
The United States and more than a dozen other countries warned Milosevic they would not accept fraudulent claims of victory.
The pro-Western opposition challenger, Vojislav Kostunica, proclaimed victory in Sunday's ballot and demanded the State Election Commission release the official count.
More than 20,000 jubilant opposition supporters, some chanting "Kill yourself Slobodan and save Serbia," jammed a Belgrade square yesterday night to celebrate. Thousands also gathered in the second-largest Serbian city, Novi Sad.
Kostunica, a 56-year-old law professor, said that if Milosevic tries to tamper with the vote, "We will defend our victory by peaceful means and we will protest for as long as it takes."
In the absence of official results, Milosevic's left-wing coalition insisted yesterday that he was ahead in the vote count but not far enough to guarantee that he would avoid a runoff with Kostunica on Oct. 8.
At a news conference, Milosevic's party general secretary, Gorica Gajevic, said that with 37 percent of the ballots counted Milosevic was ahead by 45 percent to Kostunica's 40 percent.
"This result gives us optimism that we can win in the first round," Gajevic said.
Kostunica's supporters, however, said their count gave the challenger 55 percent.
Opposition claims were based on reports from its poll watchers at the country's 10,000 voting stations. All political parties are allowed to have representatives present when votes are counted locally, and the poll watchers may report the results to their national headquarters.
Ljubisa Ristic, a neo-communist Milosevic ally, insisted the president could still win. "At this moment, the sample is too small for us to say, as we would like to, that our candidate won in the first round," he said.
He admitted, however, that Milosevic's coalition suffered a sweeping defeat in municipal elections. He predicted the left-wing parties will have a majority in the federal parliament - which has become relatively ineffectual since Montenegro, the other republic that with Serbia forms Yugoslavia, has been boycotting federal institutions.
Two leaders of Serbia's Radical Party, ultranationalist allies of Milosevic who opted to run separately, have offered to resign, citing poor election results.
Vojislav Seselj, who heads the Radicals, and his deputy Tomislav Nikolic said they would step down after Nikolic got less than 6 percent of votes as the party's presidential candidate, according to initial unofficial results.
One opposition leader said his group would not accept a runoff simply to appease Milosevic.
"There will be no bargaining," Zoran Djindjic said. "Milosevic should better avoid tormenting the people since he would be wiped out in the runoff.'"
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia party claimed that with 65 percent of polling stations counted, Kostunica was leading with 55.30 percent, compared to Milosevic's 34.37.
A spokesman for the coalition, Cedomir Jovanovic, said that if the State Election Commission remains silent about the results by tomorrow night, the opposition would "proclaim official results no matter what the government thinks, since it is becoming clear that they are rejecting the possibility to accept the defeat."
"Votes can be rigged when there is a slim difference between two groups, but when the difference is this big there is no way anyone can falsify the results," said Vladan Batic of the opposition alliance.
An opposition member of the State Election Commission, Sinisa Nikolic, complained that the vote count agency had not met since late Sunday and had not resumed work by yesterday afternoon.
"We are encountering a wall of silence," Nikolic said. "We are sitting here and asking what to do. We have no access to where computer results are being calculated."
The United States said it appeared Milosevic had been defeated but wondered whether he would honor the results.
"The popular vote was a vote for democracy," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "The question is whether Milosevic will recognize the will of the people."
Throughout Europe, the reaction to a possible Milosevic defeat was almost euphoric. Milosevic has been blamed for fomenting instability in the Balkans for years, triggering wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
The European Union said any attempt by Milosevic to claim victory would be "fraudulent," and Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini warned of "devastating consequences" if Milosevic tries to steal the election.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said yesterday that "all the reliable evidence" shows Milosevic had lost and urged the president to step aside.
"Be honest with your people, don't cheat them, get out of the way and let Serbia get out of the prison into which you have turned it," he told a Labor Party conference in London.
On Belgrade streets, the mood was jubilant, with people celebrating what they thought was the end of Milosevic's neo-communist rule. Belgrade has long been an opposition stronghold.
"Finally, we are free," university student Milica Danilovic said. "We can start breathing like normal people. Smiles are back, the pressure is gone, we are flying!"
