Nationalist becomes Serbia president

The official electoral commission said that the leader of the Progressive Party won the Sunday run-off with 49.4 percent of the vote, compared with 47.4 percent for incumbent Boris Tadic of the pro-European Democratic Party.

Tadic, an ardent champion of Serbia’s attempts to become an EU member, admitted defeat late Sunday. He resigned last month to hasten early votes, and was seeking his third and final five-year mandate which he said would be dedicated to his country’s European integration and economic development.

He came just ahead of Nikolic in the first round of presidential elections on May 6, in which the nationalists accused Tadic of “vote fraud”. The claims, however, were later rejected by the electoral commission.

It is believed that the outcome would affect Serbia’s EU prospects and it could also determine whether Serbia will continue to reconcile with its neighbors and wartime foes, including Kosovo.

The EU wants Serbia to loosen its grip on a northern slice of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008. Kosovo was a former province of Serbia and is regarded by nationalists as the cradle of Serbia’s state and religion.

Declaring his victory late Sunday, Nikolic stressed that he would be committed to the country’s EU objectives. Saying, “Serbia will not walk away from its path to the EU.”

“These elections were not whether about Serbia will go to EU, they were about solving problems that the Democratic Party has created in Serbia,” he added.

SAB/MA

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