If the procession of visitors to the former residence of the King of Yugoslavia - now the home of President Slobodan Milosevic and his powerful wife, Ms Mira Markovic - means anything, it paints a bleak picture of what is in store for the people of Serbia.
The couple have been at Beli Dvor, or White Court, since casting their votes on Sunday morning.
According to reliable sources, the guests since then have included Mr Zoran Janackovic, a former secret police chief and now ambassador to Macedonia, followed by the current head of the Serbian police, Mr Vlajko Stojiljkovic, and the head of state security, Mr Rado Markovic. Yesterday afternoon they had a visit from Gen Nebojsa Pavkovic, who runs the army.
The signs of what is to come are ominous.
"They were convinced that they were going to win. For the first 24 hours there was a real battle between Milosevic and his wife to choose between the soft option of letting go of power and the hard one that could eventually mean police on the streets," said the former information ministry head, Mr Aleksandar Tijanic.
Their strategy was decided after a three-hour meeting on Tuesday morning with the leaders of both their parties, said Mr Nebojsa Covic, the former leader of the Belgrade Socialist party and ex-mayor of Belgrade.
"After that they announced his victory at a press conference and said there would be another round. Some of his people told him that he should recognise the elections but the problem is his ego and his wife. They are both very sick people now," said Mr Covic.
Ms Markovic, who formed Yugoslav United Left, was elected to office for the first time in Sunday's elections, taking a seat in the eastern region around Pozarevac, according to the Internet magazine Free Serbia. Pozarevac is the couple's home town.
Slavoljub Djukic, the author of four books on Milosevic and Markovic, said: "She sees herself as some sort of Rosa Luxemburg, or Karl Marx, with a mission to save Serbian communism at whatever price. "In a way he is the softer one. The one thing that Milosevic treasures above all else - even power - is his family, and if they were under threat as they are now, I think he would consider other options. There are countries that could take them - China - but it will be she that decides."
The presidential couple have been an extraordinary and devastating political unit for over 40 years since meeting at school.
"She chose him and she made him President," said Mr Covic, who for four years was part of the inner circle. "I was in the house regularly, for dinner, for talks. While I was mayor of Belgrade three years ago I was there every day."
Mr Covic believes that now, as then, Ms Markovic is insistent that her husband does not accept the election results.
"She is mad. It is as simple as that, and she is very powerful," he said.