Serbian ultra-nationalists win poll but no outright majority

Serbian ultra-nationalists win poll but no outright majority

	Published : Mon, 22 Jan 2007 07:45 By : Agencies Print this Story

BELGRADE (AFX) - The ultra-nationalist Radical Party has claimed victory in yesterday's general elections but conceded it had failed to get an outright majority and is unlikely to form a government.

The leader of the Radicals (SRS), Tomislav Nikolic, claimed victory after official poll monitors said his party had garnered 28.7 pct of votes, based on partial results.

The Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) said the Radicals were followed by the pro-European Democratic Party (DS) with 22.9 pct and the conservative Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) with 16.7 pct.

'We have won as we had expected,' said Nikolic, the Radicals' candidate for prime minister.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said the polls were a breakthrough for pro-European Union forces, which he urged to form a coalition government as soon as possible.

'All parties supporting a pro-European stance won a majority and this is an important signal that Serbia will send to Europe and the world,' said Tadic, the leader of the DS.

Tadic's Democrats are now being tipped to form a government with moderate nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia and G17 Plus.

The three main groupings were followed by the reformist G17 Plus party with 6.8 pct, tbe Socialist Party of Serbia with 5.9 pct and a neo-liberal alliance led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with 5.3 pct.

'It's necessary to form the government as soon as possible in order to start solving all problems that are awaiting us,' said Tadic.

The elections were held ahead of a UN decision on the future of the breakaway southern province of Kosovo, whose ethnic Albanian majority is demanding independence following the 1998-1999 war there.

Nikolic, an outspoken critic of the UN administration in Kosovo, the European Union and international war crimes trials against Serbs, said he is 'not convinced that we (the Radicals) will be able to form the government.'

Earlier, he ruled out the possibility of forming a government with major opponents and warned moderate parties would 'surrender' Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo.

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