By Xinhua,
Belgrade : The pro-Western coalition claimed victory in Serbia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, which is set to give momentum to the Balkan country’s integration into the European Union (EU).
However, the alliance is short of a majority to form a government, and the disgruntled nationalists have pledged not to give up.
Based on 85 percent of the sample counted by the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), an independent monitoring institution, the pro-Western Coalition for a European Serbia led by President Boris Tadic won 38.7 percent of the vote, or 103 seats in the next parliament.
The next popular contender, ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) rallied around Tomislav Nikolic, trailed with 29.1 percent, or 77 parliamentary seats.
The Coalition of Democratic Party of Serbian (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) with nationalist outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica at the helm garnered 11.3 percent of the vote, or 30 parliamentary seats.
The other two parties over the 5 percent threshold to enter the parliament are pro-Western Liberal Democratic Party and nationalist Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). They each got 5.2 percent or 13 seats and 7.9 percent or 20 seats.
“This is a great day for Serbia,” said Tadic shortly after the preliminary results were released.
“Serbian citizens have confirmed Serbia’s European path,” he said.
Thousands of supporters for the Tadic bloc took to the streets to celebrate the victory. They waved party and EU flags, honked horns and lit torches.
Tadic, however, would face a difficult task to form a government by his will.
By law, without the necessary 126 seats to be in a majority in the 250- seat parliament, neither party is able to form a government alone, entailing a coalition among parties this time.
If the nationalists team up, namely, Nikolic’s SRS unites Kostunica’s DSS-NS coalition and the SPS whose former leader was late Slobodan Milosevic, they could manage 127 seats, just enough to secure them the power for forming a government even without the participation of Tadic’s party.
Nikolic, who is already pondering the alliance, said he would meet with Kostunica and other conservative leaders on the issue on Monday.
Tadic acknowledged the negotiation on forming the next government would be tough.
The elections were called when the fragile ruling coalition of Tadic’s Democratic Party and DSS collapsed at a row over ties with the EU after most member states of the 27-nation bloc recognized Kosovo’s independence.
The CeSID gave the turnout at 60.7 percent, meaning about 4.1 million from some 6.75 million eligible voters cast their ballots at 8,286 polling stations to choose parliamentarians from 3,137 candidates.
Voters are also to choose 120 deputies to the Vojvodina Assembly, as well as councilors to 24 city halls and 150 municipal assemblies.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and closed at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). The final results are expected on Thursday evening.
The voting was monitored by a dozen international organizations including the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Duma, the Russian Public Institute of Electoral Law and the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17, which has been recognized by some 40 countries, including the United States and most EU member states.
The nationalists, represented by SRS and DSS, strongly oppose to Kosovo’s move and to Serbia’s further integration with the EU unless the Western nations retract their recognition of the breakaway Kosovo.
The pro-western bloc, despite its opposition to Kosovo’s independence, favors a speedy integration with the EU as it believes an EU membership would strengthen Serbia in the fight to maintain Kosovo.