POLLS OPEN IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, VOX POPS
(20 May 2012) Serbians voted on Sunday in a presidential run-off election that pits pro-European Union Boris Tadic against nationalist Tomislav Nikolic who wants closer ties with Russia The vote is key for Serbia's plans to become an EU member, after being a pariah state under late autocrat Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s. It also will determine whether Serbia continues to reconcile with its neighbours and wartime foes, including the former province of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008. Petar Velickovic, a voter in Belgrade said he expected "a better Serbia". "I expect that young people will get jobs, that our industry will pick up. I expect that we get rid of negative privatisation, in fact the robbery of the Serbian people," he said. Serbs also voted in northern Mitrovica in Kosovo. "I expect that the president will hear our desperate calls, our desperate calls for our security. He should not cancel our institutions here in Kosovo, because if there are no Serbian institutions, we will cease to exist here," said Nikola Vitorovic. Tadic, who is seeking a third term, was slightly ahead of Nikolic in the first round of voting on May 6. Nikolic's Serbian Progressive Party won the most votes for parliament, but is likely to stay without power because Tadic's Democrats have agreed to form the next government with the third-placed Socialists. The nationalists have accused the Democrats of rigging the general vote, including the first-round presidential ballot - the charge that was rejected by authorities, but is fuelling fears of possible post-election violence. Tadic, who championed Serbia's bid to become an EU member, was leading the pre-runoff polls, but the pro-democratic voters are known to be less enthusiastic than the nationalists when it comes to casting their ballots. Tadic has built his presidential bid around his pro-Western policies, but his biggest problem remains the economic downturn and corruption within the ruling elite. Faced with the global financial crisis, which has slowed down much needed foreign investments, Tadic's government has seen massive job losses and plummeting living standards. Nikolic, who narrowly lost two earlier presidential votes against Tadic, claims to have shifted from being staunchly anti-Western to pro-EU, and says that he wants Serbia both "in the West and the East." Nikolic's populism has struck a chord with voters, who warmed to his criticism of widespread social injustice and corruption in Serbia and promises of jobs, financial security and billions of dollars in foreign investment. Tadic has also overseen a more conciliatory stance toward Serbia's neighbours and war foes in the 1990s, including Kosovo, the former province that is considered by nationalists as the cradle of Serbia's state and religion. Nikolic has said he would abandon the EU plan if it means that Serbia must give up its claim on Kosovo, and he has forged an alliance with the staunchly anti-EU party of former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
