Anniversary of Mira Markovic's death and symbolism of April 14: Milosevic's downfall began then

With these protests, "Stop terror - for democratic elections" - Slobodan Milosevic effectively lost power, which wold formally happen after the September elections and the October 5, 2000 protests

Mirjana Markovic, the wife of the former president of Serbia and Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, passed away on April 14, 2019, on the anniversary of the start of a coordinated campaign for democratic changes in the country that began with a rally in Belgrade on that day in 2000. With these protests, "Stop terror - for democratic elections" - Slobodan Milosevic effectively lost power, which would formally happen after the September elections and the October 5, 2000 protests.

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Some 300,000 people took to the streets of central Belgrade to support the united opposition in its first joint appearance. The protesters, led by the president of the Serbian Renewal Movement, Vuk Draskovic, as well as several thousand representatives of "Otpor" gathered on Republic Square.

Citizens carried a large number of banners, and one of them reading, "I'm for changes too, but my wife won't let me!" which referred to Markovic and her influence on political decisions in the country.

Columns of people were merging at the square that day, the media reported at the time, and at around 2:45 pm, several thousand representatives of "Otpor" arrived from Brankova and Prizrenska Streets, followed by members of SPO Pozarevac, who were boisterously greeted by the citizens.

A few minutes before the beginning of the rally, the president of the SPO, Vuk Drasković, passed by Knez Mihailova Street, which caused a real storm of enthusiasm among his supporters, who greeted him with shouts and lighting of flares, blowing trumpets and whistles...

The opposition at the time demanded "early democratic elections at all levels as soon as possible and and end to the violence and terror of the Milosevic regime."

The animosity between the ruling coalition and the opposition grew each day in 2000, and it culminated after the election held on September 24 of the same year.

Because Milosevic refused to recognize the results, the DOS (an alliance of a large number of opposition parties) called on citizens to gather in front of the Federal Assembly on October 5, 2000, to oppose the large-scale election fraud carried out by the Federal Election Commission on the orders of Slobodan Milosevic.

The October 5 demonstrations marked the end of the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, but also of his wife, who was said to be pulling the strings and having a say in everything that had to do with state affairs.

Mirjana Markovic died and was cremated in Russia, her urn later brought to Pozarevac

Mirjana Markovic passed away on April 14, 2019 in Moscow, at the age of 77 due to complications caused by pneumonia, which she developed after undergoing two surgeries.

The urn with the remains of Mirjana Markovic was laid to rest on April 20, 2019 next to her husband Slobodan Milosevic, the former president of Serbia and Yugoslavia, in the yard of their family home in Pozarevac, eastern Serbia.

None of the members of the immediate family, including their son Marko and daughter Marija, attended the funeral.

(Telegraf.rs)