The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Serbia Prepares for Key Presidential Vote
| 02 February 2008 | By Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade
The election pits Tadic against Nikolic
Tadic, on the other hand, is a close ally of Serbia’s late Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic. Elected President in 2004, Tadic is an advocate of European integration and economic reforms, which he says will benefit all citizens. He opposes Kosovo’s independence but rejects any downgrading of relations with Western nations that recognize the breakaway province.
Tadic served as the Minister of Defence and Telecommunications in the now-defunct Yugoslavia that united Serbia and Montenegro.
Tadic, 50, is married, and has two children. His campaign slogan is “Let’s Win Europe Together.”
At a rally in central Belgrade on Thursday, Tadic said he had done everything possible in his bid to defeat Nikolic, who emerged from the first round of voting on January 20 with a slight advantage.
"I am asking for your trust. We must continue along the road we started on in 2000,” he said in reference to the popular uprising that ended Milosevic’s 13-year tenure during which Nikolic served as a Deputy Prime Minister for a while.
Analysts say that the turnout on Sunday could be decisive as most recent opinion polls put Tadic slight leading ahead of Nikolic. Observers say a high turnout is likely to favour Tadic, because it would counteract the Radicals' more disciplined supporters who tend to vote regularly.
Nikolic is pushing for closer ties with Russia as opposed to the European Union, and has warned of severe measures against countries which might recognize an independent Kosovo. On the domestic front, he has pledged to root out crime and corruption in the country.
Nikolic, 55, is married, with two sons. His slogan is “From the Heart.”
Tadic is entering the run-off without support from two of his three coalition partners, the Democratic Party of Serbia, led by conservative Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, and the New Serbia party, headed by Infrastructure Minister Velimir Ilic, who came third place in the first round of the election, with 7.4% of the vote.
On Wednesday, Kostunica said he would not support Tadic's election bid. The pro-western president had refused to accept an amendment to the coalition agreement that would have made continued European integration conditional on whether the EU backs Kosovo's independence from Serbia.
Tadic also lacks support from the staunchly pro-Western opposition Liberal Democratic Party whose leader Cedomir Jovanovic garnered 5.39% of the vote on January 20.
At a rival rally on Thursday in Belgrade’s Arena, Nikolic said he had no grievances with the EU, and stressed his support for European values.
"I have just one small request for the EU, to keep their hands off Kosovo. We are a proud nation, and we do not need a carrot and a stick," Nikolic said in reference to Brussels’ efforts to offer Serbia faster integration into the 27-member bloc, in exchange for a more compliant approach from Belgrade over its impending loss of Kosovo.
“Serbia should be a house with two doors, one leading to the EU and the other to Russia,” Nikolic said.
His words echoed a recent deal between Belgrade and Moscow, which sees the sale of a 51% stake in Serbia’s NIS oil and gas monopoly to the Russian energy giant, Gazprom, and the construction of a major pipeline that would carry Russian gas to European markets.
Voters in Belgrade remained divided Saturday over the two candidates.
"Nikolic has more guts and I trust his pledge to root out corruption," said Milinko, 49, a metal worker.
His colleague Jovica, 28, said "Tadic is the right choice as the time has come for Serbia to make its step into the EU."
Under Serbian law, polls will open Sunday at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT). Around 6.7 million people are eligible to vote in the election.
