The Hungarian National Council held its first meeting in Subotica/Szabadka and elected as President László Józsa, currently Vice-President of the Alliance of Hungarians in Voivodina. The Law on Minorities adopted by federal parliament on February 25 establishes that every national minority in Yugoslavia can form its own national council ranging in size from 15 to 35 members. The purpose of the council is to serve as a "minority self-government or local parliament," which embraces the personal autonomy of the given national community. National councils are elected by a body of electorates, which consists of elected representatives of a given minority community at the local, national and federal levels; representatives of minority cultural and educational organizations; and anyone who can collect 100 signatures. Of all national minorities living in Yugoslavia, the 340,000-strong ethnic Hungarian community was the first to elect its own national council on September 21. The 35-member Hungarian National Council was elected by 541 electorates representing two political parties—Alliance of Hungarians in Voivodina and Hungarian Civic Movement in Voivodina—and a range of civil, cultural and youth organizations. Three other Hungarian political parties—Democratic Party of Hungarians in Voivodina, Democratic Community of Hungarians in Voivodina, and the Christian Democratic European Movement—refused to participate in the establishment of the Council, saying that it should have been elected from a larger pool which includes a register of all ethnic Hungarian voters. Józsa told the Hungarian Telegraph Agency that the Council will have executive as well as legislative powers. For example, should a Hungarian-language educational system be created in the province of Voivodina, its by-laws would be determined by the Council, pointed out Józsa. Other aspirations of the Council include full-fledged control over Hungarian cultural institutions and mass communication institutions. The Council will also create committees on specific issues such as education, culture, finance and economy. [Hungarian Daily Telegraph—MTI (Budapest), October 21 and 22, 2002 and Magyar Nemzet (Budapest) October 18, 2002]

The second round of the elections for president of Serbia was inconclusive because of a 45.5 percent voter turnout. A 50 percent minimum turnout is necessary for the election to be deemed valid. Of the two candidates running in the second round, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, won 66.8 percent of the votes, while Miroljub Labus, federal Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, received 30.9 percent of the votes cast. Kostunica surpassed his challenger in all regions of Serbia. Even in Voivodina, where Labus gained more votes than Kostunica in the first round of elections, Kostunica came out first garnering 53.3 percent of the votes. By contrast, Labus received 44.5 percent of the votes in Voivodina. According to political analyst Vladimir Goati, the Serbian presidential election must be repeated from the beginning by no later than December 5, and the provision mandating a 50 percent turnout should be revoked. [Magyar Szó (Novi Sad/Újvidék) October 14 and 16, 2002]

According to final—96 percent of the votes counted—but unofficial results, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica won the first round of elections for president of Serbia held on Sunday, September 30, garnering 30.91 percent of the votes. The Center for Free Elections and Democracy, an independent monitoring group, said that Miroljub Labus, federal Prime Minister for Economic Affairs came in second with 27.46 percent of the vote. Vojislav Seselj, an ultra-nationalist party leader, finished third collecting 23 percent of the vote. The voter turnout was a low 55.7 percent. In Voivodina, the northern province of Serbia, the pro-Western reformer Labus was the first with 38.3 percent of the votes. The former Milosevic ally, Seselj, gained an overwhelming victory in Kosovo with 57.2 percent of the votes. Furthermore, he attracted a significant amount of votes—26.4 percent—in Voivodina, outweighing even Kostunica. Critics say Seselj's popularity is due to the fact that close to 700,000 ethnic Serb refugees have been resettled in the province. The second round of voting is scheduled for October 13 with only two of the candidates running, Kostunica and Labus. [Magyar Szó (Novi Sad/Újvidék), October 2, 2002 and Hungarian Daily Telegraph—MTI (Budapest), September 30, 2002]