Serbs voting for new parliament

21/01/2007| IslamWeb

Serbs are going to the polls in the country's first general election since its union with Montenegro was dissolved last year.

About 6.5m people can vote and the basic choice is between the hardline nationalists and parties that are more pro-European and pro-reform.

One difficult issue that will face any incoming government will be that of the disputed province of Kosovo.

The UN is expected to make a decision on Kosovo's long-term future this year.

The BBC's Nick Hawton in Belgrade says the campaign has been largely devoid of the issues that have dominated in the past, such as co-operation with The Hague war crimes tribunal and Kosovo.

Instead other concerns such as the economy, privatisation, European integration and corruption have taken centre stage.

Voting is expected to be split between President Boris Tadic's pro-European Democratic Party (DS), conservative Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and war crimes suspect Vojislav Seselj's nationalist SRS.

Opinion polls have indicated that no party will win a majority outright but the president and prime minister are expected to form a coalition.

Kosovo will be the first priority for any incoming government, our correspondent says.

The UN's chief envoy for the province is due to give his recommendations for its future soon after the election.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Serb wearing a traditional hat enjoys the weather in front of a wall with pre-election posters, in the isolated Kosovo Serb village of Pasjan, January 20, 2007. (Reuters)

BBC