Nikolic leading in first round of Serbian presidential elections
21 January 2008
According to exit polls, the first round of the Serbian presidential elections on 20 January 2008 was led by Tomislav Nikolic, with about 39 percent of the vote. Incumbent president Boris Tadic came in second, with an estimated 35 percent. Turnout was high for Serbia, at approximately 61 percent. Although nine candidates took part in the elections, it was clear before the ballot that it would come down to a contest between pro-Western Tadic and nationalist Nikolic.
Tadic advocates EU integration for Serbia, and wishes the country to move closer to Europe. Nikolic, on the other hand, is advocating for a stronger partnership with Russia. According to Nikolic, “Russia is closer to Serbia.” The expected declaration of independence in February by the province of Kosovo was overshadowing the vote. Although Nikolic has said that he is also in favour of joining the EU, he has made it clear that this can only happen when the EU “does not make obstacles”, and ruled out the possibility of joining the EU when it accepts independence for Kosovo. Tadic is also against independence for Kosovo, but maintains that this issue should be dealt with separate from the decision of joining the EU.
Since none of the candidates was able to secure an absolute majority in the first round of the vote, a runoff between Nikolic and Tadic is slated for 3 February.
