The cross and crown of the new emblem replaces a five-pronged red star of the old one. The tune of the old song was long the favorite of activists who sang it during pro-democracy demonstrations that lead to the overthrow of autocratic President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Law makers hope their decision to make the 19th century anthem “Boze Pravde,” or “God of Justice” Serbia’s new anthem, will promote democracy.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Milosevic’s supporters boycotted the parliamentary vote on Serbia’s new identity this week. They argued the anthem represented a Serbia of a 19th century monarchy.
Although lyrics referring to the Serbian king have been rephrased, regional analysts say for many Serbs the anthem still represents an oath of allegiance to the monarch as well as to the country.
ROYAL INSIGNIA
However Parliament Speaker Predrag Markovic noted that Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia and Poland are all democracies with state symbols featuring historical royal insignia. “These symbols are Serbia’s true ones,” said Markovic, who insisted Serbia needed to replace its current coat of arms featuring the five-pointed communist Red Star.
The parliament also voted to adopt the once-royal symbols in the Serbian flag and national emblem. The coat of arms, which dates back to the Middle Ages, features a crown on top of a double-headed white eagle. Serbia’s new flag adds this crest to the upper left corner of the red, blue, and white tricolor.
Lawmakers and historians say they hope the new symbols will better reflect Serbia’s identity after a decade of war sparked by the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The fighting killed a quarter of a million people.
PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS
“The only peaceful and prosperous period for Serbia was when it was a monarchy and had this anthem and this coat of arms,” said historian Vladislav Pavlovic, according to The Associated Press news agency.
But the Serbs could not agree on a flag, an emblem, and an anthem for the Serbia-Montenegro union, the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia. It came as a setback for the dwindling number of politicians who believe that Serbia and Montenegro could survive as a lose federation.
They had hoped the two republics could bury their differences to approve a joint national anthem in time for this year’s Olympic Games. But instead, last month Montenegro adopted its own flag, national anthem, and national day, a move seen as another step towards independence from Serbia.
