In September 1987 , Stambolić became the President of Serbia. He was a mentor and a close personal friend to Slobodan Milošević , and supported him in the elections for the new leader of the League Of Communists Of Serbia , to the dismay of the other leaders in the party. Stambolić spent three days advocating Milošević's election and finally managed to secure him a tight victory, the tightest ever in the history of Serbian Communist Party internal elections.
Stambolic and Milošević held similar views on the autonomous provinces of Serbia, Kosovo and Vojvodina , both feeling that constitutional changes were necessary to sort out their relationship with the centre. Stambolic managed to win over the League Of Communists Of Yugoslavia to his position on this matter at the Thirteenth Congress of the LCY, held in 1986, and then set up a commission to work out the details of the constitutional reforms that were eventually passed in 1989. He also wanted to protect the rights of Serbs and Montenegrins in Kosovo, insisting as early as 1982 that he would speak up for those rights even if his opponents labelled him a Greater Serbia n nationalist. Where Milošević and he differed on these matters was Milošević's demand for greater rapidity and his stronger sympathy for Serb demonstrators. It was the issue of speed that was to bring the two into conflict.
Dragiša Pavlović , Milošević's fairly Liberal successor at the head of the Belgrade Committee of the party, opposed his policy towards the solving of the issues of the Kosovo Serbs, calling it "hastily promised speed". Milošević denounced Pavlović as being soft on Albanian radicals, contrary to advice from Stambolić. In September 23/24th, on the subsequent eighth session of the Central Committee, one that lasted around 30 hours, and was broadcast live on the state television, Milošević had Pavlović deposed, to the utter embarrassment of Ivan Stambolić, who resigned under pressure from Milošević's supporters a few days later.
In February 1988 , Stambolić was officially voted off the position and replaced by Petar Gracanin , who was in turn succeeded the following year by Milošević himself.
Stambolić mysteriously disappeared on August 25 , 2000 , still during the rule of Slobodan Milošević. On March 28 , 2003 the police revealed that he was murdered on Fruška Gora by eight Serbian Secret Police officers, who were also supporters of Slobodan Milošević . On July 18 , 2005 , these men and their conspirators were found guilty of the murder of Stambolić and were sentenced to between 15 and 40 years in prison. {Link without Title}
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