BELGRADE, SERBIA-MONTENEGRO -- Former president Slobodan Milosevic, who remains jailed by the United Nations war crimes tribunal, won't get a parliamentary seat despite winning enough votes for one in last month's elections, the deputy leader of his party said yesterday. The Socialist party's main board decided not to assign Milosevic a seat because he would not be able to attend the first parliamentary session, which is required for the mandate to be verified, party deputy leader Ivica Dacic said.

"However, as soon as he (Milosevic) returns from The Hague, we will vacate one seat for him."

Milosevic, who is on trial in The Hague, is still the party's top leader.

The party also decided to award seats in the 250-member Parliament to several moderate members instead of hardline Milosevic loyalists, Dacic said.

The decision was an attempt to "reform the party, something we needed for quite some time," he added.