Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been the architect of his country's destruction. Over the course of a decade, his twin pursuits of the Serb nationalist cause and his own power have torn the Yugoslav federation apart. It has been a bloody process, triggering foreign military intervention on two occasions. Today, Yugoslavia consists of just two of its former seven republics: Serbia and Montenegro. And Mr. Milosevic is once more prepared to divide what remains of Yugoslavia in two. He has jiggered the constitution to allow him to run for office again, alienating the Montenegrins and risking yet another conflagration.
According to the Yugoslav Constitution, the president can serve just one term. That inconveniences Mr. Milosevic, whose term expires next year. To fix that problem, the Parliament - which he controls - passed legislation last month that allows the president to serve more than one term and changes the way the president and parliamentary representatives are elected.
Two reforms are critical. First, the president is to be elected by a majority in a popular vote, regardless of turnout. That means a boycott of the election will have no effect. Second, members of the Upper House of Parliament will also be elected by popular vote. Currently, separate assemblies in Montenegro and Serbia each select 20 of the chamber's 40 legislators. A direct vote cuts the link between each republic and the parliamentarians, which also increases Mr. Milosevic's influence over the Parliament.