Opponents of President Slobodan Milosevic were holding a country-wide party early this morning in support of their election candidate, Dr Vojislav Kostunica. They took to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to celebrate what they were convinced was a victory for their man in the presidential poll. With full results not due to be declared until later today, however, followers of Mr Milosevic were also claiming that early unofficial returns showed a victory for their side.
Ominously, it was announced in the early hours of this morning that pro-Kostunica members of the Federal Election Commission had been relieved of their posts. In Belgrade, tens of thousands of people filled the streets, dancing, cheering and singing as early results were announced through a loudspeaker by opposition organisations after local workers reported them from polling stations.
Partial results reported by the official news agency, Tanjug, showed Dr Kostunica with a four-point lead over Mr Milosevic, but there were claims from the ruling party that Mr Milosevic was taking 90 per cent of the vote in Montenegro.
The Federal Election Commission said it would not be announcing any results, so those that were announced came from the opposition and a non-governmental monitoring body known by its acronym CESID.
Results from Kosovo showed support for Mr Milosevic, but the vote was low. In the offices of the Alliance for Change, one of the 18 parties that backed Mr Milosevic's challenger, opposition activist Prof Srbijanka Turajlic said: "I've waited for this for 54 years. I've waited to win, to start to live in a normal country."
Earlier, the scene had seemed set for conflict between hardline backers of the president and those supporting Dr Kostunica, after Milosevic supporters set up stages in towns across Serbia where the opposition had planned celebratory rallies.
More than 20 cities across the country faced a night in which rival supporters were celebrating within yards of each other - but tension was defused.
In the early evening in the northern city of Novi Sad, two rival rallies were taking place and according to local councillor, Mr Emil Gion, shortly after 8.30 p.m., special police units were on the street. But no violence was reported.
A leading official of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, Mr Gaso Knezevic, said the opposition should capitalise on its democratic gains: "The turnout is great. We believe we will have certain victory."
In Belgrade, police snatched a video projecter and a big screen that the opposition had planned to use to show the election results to supporters at its rally.
President Milosevic cast his vote at 10 a.m. He then told reporters that he expected the elections to bring "something good for our country and our people".