Nationalist Nikolic is Serbian president

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news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8470688

Serbian political parties are expected to start negotiations on the formation of a new government after the surprise win of nationalist Tomislav Nikolic in presidential polls.

Nikolic upset the odds to defeat incumbent Boris Tadic on Sunday but vowed to pursue his predecessor's drive for the Balkans nation to join the European Union.

One-time ally of the late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, Nikolic led with 50.21 per cent over 46.77 for Tadic, according to preliminary results from Serbia's republic electoral commission RIK based on 40.67 per cent of votes counted.

Thousands of Nikolic supporters gathered in central Belgrade and other Serbian towns late on Sunday, honking their horns in celebration.

Tadic quickly conceded defeat congratulating Nikolic, who promised to steer a pro-European course, on "a fair and well-earned victory".

"Serbia will not turn away from the European path," Nikolic said.

But a recent convert to the EU cause he has warned in the past he would not join the 27-member bloc at any cost, making a breakaway Kosovo the red line for EU membership.

Tadic, 54, who brought the once international pariah state to the European Union's doorstep, warned it would be a "tragic mistake" if Serbia abandoned its EU course.

Serbia got EU candidacy status in March but has not yet been given a date to open membership talks.

To get into Brussels' good books Tadic handed over last year the last remaining fugitives from the UN war crimes court hiding in Serbia, Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic and Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.

He also agreed to talks between Belgrade and Pristina aimed at improving relations between Serbia and Kosovo - a key condition for EU integration.

Surveys conducted just ahead of the second round had projected that Tadic, the Democratic Party leader, would win comfortably with up to 58 per cent of the vote.

"This was an electoral earthquake, a totally unexpected result," political analyst Slobodan Antonic said on Serbia's RTS state television.

While the ruling parties did well in parliamentary elections two weeks ago "maybe voters now decided it was the time to punish them a bit", he said.

Other analysts blamed the low turnout of 46.86 per cent of voters and the high number of invalid votes at some three per cent for the upset.

The unexpected result will impact the formation of Serbia's government as it could break up an earlier agreed pro-European alliance between Tadic's Democratic Party and the Socialists, the third force in the future parliament.

[Deleted]

It will be interesting to see how he governs. Also, just 46% voter turnout?!

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May 21, 2012 3:00:18 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

It will be interesting to see how he governs. Also, just 46% voter turnout?!

They were also having voting booths in Kosovo, so I wonder how that went

[Deleted]

Yeah I wish the news here would cover more, I'd love to see how it went. Voting booths in Kosovo could have been interesting I would think?

[marie427]

This is exactly the headache that Serbia, Kosovo and the EU do NOT need. Oy vey.