Serbians Reelect Pro-Western President
Turnout High as Kosovo Prepares to Declare Independence
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Monday, February 4, 2008
BELGRADE, Serbia, Feb. 3 -- Serbia's pro-Western president narrowly defeated an ally of the late autocrat Slobodan Milosevic in a closely contested election Sunday, only days before an expected declaration of independence by the breakaway province of Kosovo.
President Boris Tadic won 51 percent of the vote, while Tomislav Nikolic, who ruled with Milosevic during the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, had 47 percent, according to the state electoral commission.
"Serbia has shown its great democratic potential," Tadic said in his victory speech, praising Nikolic for "the number of votes he has won."
Nikolic congratulated Tadic but added, "I will remain to be his tough opposition."
The election was marked by high turnout, 67 percent.
Tadic's supporters celebrated in downtown Belgrade, waving Serbian, European Union and Democratic Party flags and honking car horns.
The outcome indicated that a majority of Serbians want the country to stay on its path of pro-Western reform and closer ties with the E.U., instead of heading back to the nationalism and isolation that characterized the Milosevic era.
Nikolic's defeat also may alleviate fears in the West of a violent reaction by Serbia to the expected declaration of independence this month by Kosovo, which is dominated by pro-independence ethnic Albanians.
Both Tadic and Nikolic oppose Kosovo's independence, but Tadic has ruled out the use of force and is seen as likely to encourage close ties with the E.U. and the United States even if they recognize Kosovo statehood.
The province has been run by the United Nations and NATO since the 1998-99 war, when NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days to stop Milosevic's brutal crackdown against Kosovo separatists.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders have said they would declare independence days after the Serbian runoff, no matter who won, and they expected the United States and most E.U. countries to follow up with quick recognition.
Serbia's presidency is formally a ceremonial post, though it gained in importance and influence under Milosevic's virtually unrivaled rule in the 1990s. The president names the commander of Serbia's army -- a post that gains in importance with likely Kosovo independence.
