Pro-West bloc claims Serbia win
President Boris Tadic’s coalition defies poll projections, leaving nationalist rivals behind.
Voices |
The centre, whose representatives observed vote tallying at polling stations across Serbia, said the Radicals were running a distant second with 28.6 per cent, and that the conservative coalition of Vojislav Kostunica, the prime minister, had about 11.6 per cent.
Tadic’s opponents acknowledged that their own vote tabulations confirmed the victory of his pro-Western Coalition for a European Serbia.
The bloc’s strong showing came just three months after protesters, outraged by Kosovo’s February 17 independence declaration, set fire to part of the US embassy in Belgrade.
The result was a dramatic turnabout after weeks of speculation that the Radicals and Kostunica’s coalition together would sweep to victory.
Tadic supporters took to the streets to celebrate victory late on Sunday |
Any alliance that can muster a simple 126-seat majority in the 250-seat parliament can govern, and Serbian nationalists indicated they would mount a challenge.
“Despite the victory celebrations of Tadic’s party, the next government may very well swing in favour of the nationalists, with the unexpected kingmaker of the coming coalition being the Socialist Party.”
Serbia election |
After the trends became clear on Sunday, Tomislav Nikolic, the Radicals’ leader, urged his allies to pull together, and said he would meet Kostunica on Monday and the Socialists to form a government.
“I’m sure that those who wanted to return Serbia to the 1990s will try to overturn the electoral will of the people, but I will not allow it,” he told supporters.