Yugoslavia's Vojvodina Parliament Moves to Strengthen AutonomyThe parliament of Vojvodina of the Republic of Serbia adopted Thursday the outline for the future constitutional set-up of the autonomous province.The outline, passed by a vote of 86 to 10 with two abstentions, requires amendment of more than 100 stipulations currently in force in Serbia so as to ensure the rights of Vojvodina that are stipulated in Serbia's 1990 constitution, the local press reported. The outline also asks to further clarify the constitutional rights of the autonomous province and those of Yugoslavia and its main republic, Serbia. Under the outline, national defense, national security, the banking system, foreign policies, basic economic structure, unified markets and tariffs and customs policies are within the power of Yugoslavia and Serbia, while agriculture, public health, public security and education and information sectors fall under jurisdiction of the autonomous province. The outline will come into effect upon approval by the parliament of Serbia. Vojvodina covers an area of 21,506 square kilometers, with a population of over two million made up of 20-plus ethnic groups including Serb, Hungarian, Croat, Slovak, Romanian and Montenegrin. Yugoslavia's another republic, Montenegro, has been seeking to redefine its relations with Serbia since the West-leaning President Milo Djukanovic took office in 1998. The Montenegrin government proposed holding a referendum on the issue and its relations with Serbia has been strained since. |
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