Belgrade's City Council ousted the mayor Tuesday, reflecting the disintegration of opposition forces that once posed a threat to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, the chief powerbroker in the Balkan region.
All but one of the 68 deputies present voted to dump Zoran Djindjic - Belgrade's first non-communist mayor in 52 years, who was swept to power after months of street demonstrations last November."What we fought for last winter was thrown away," Djindjic said, in comments broadcast by Belgrade's Studio B television.
Neither Djindjic nor any deputies of his Democratic Party were present at the session, B-92 radio reported.
Djindjic's defeat will likely lead to new local elections and strengthening of neo-communist and nationalist influences in Serbia, the dominant republic of Yugoslavia.
The move completed the disintegration of the pro-democracy opposition and strengthened Milosevic, the chief instigator of a Bosnian Serb rebellion that erupted in war in Bosnia. His influence also played a major role in bringing a tenuous peace to the region nearly two years ago.
The coalition, known as Zajedno or "Together," had presented the most serious alternative to Milosevic's authoritarian rule since he came to power a decade ago. The coalition began to fray because of rivalries between its two main leaders, Djindjic and Vuk Draskovic.
The two could not agree on a strategy for presidential and parliamentary elections, further damaging the alliance that had won control over Serbia's major cities in an election last year.
Draskovic and his Serbian Renewal Movement took part in this month's Serbian presidential and parliamentary elections, but Djindjic opted for a boycott, saying the elections were flawed and the opposition had no chance of winning.