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BELGRADE: Pro-West Serbian forces claimed an emphatic victory after general elections on Sunday, giving them a strong mandate to move closer to the European Union despite Kosovo's independence.
"At this moment, it is important to say that the citizens of Serbia have undoubtedly confirmed a clear European path for Serbia," President Boris Tadic, the flag-bearer of the pro-European forces, told a press conference.
"It is necessary to form a government as soon as possible," said Tadic as loyalists at his Democratic Party (DS) campaign headquarters broke out with cheering.
Earlier, counts by the electoral commission, poll monitors and various parties showed the "For a European Serbia" alliance spearheaded by the DS looked set to secure up to 39 percent of the vote.
That sparked fireworks and wild celebrations on the streets of Belgrade, where cars decked with Serbian, DS and European Union flags honked their horns as they circled the downtown area.
However, the ultra-nationalist Radical Party warned Tadic against jumping the gun by claiming pro-European forces would be able to form a government after elections on Sunday.
"There is a possible coalition without the Democratic Party and we warn Serbia about that," said Radicals leader Tomislav Nikolic, who gave mixed signals about which parties he felt should initiate the talks.
If confirmed, the election results will be seen as a breakthrough for Serbia, where a series of governments since the ouster of late autocratic president Slobodan Milosevic have struggled for unity on the path to EU integration.
"I think that the European future of Serbia is guaranteed," said Zoran Lucic of the non-governmental Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), whose estimates gave the DS coalition 39 percent versus 28 percent for the Radical Party.
Going into the bitterly contested polls, a CeSID survey had given the Radicals voter support of 34 percent, one point ahead of a pro-European alliance.
The Slovenian presidency of the European Union promptly hailed on Sunday what it called "a clear victory" by pro-European forces, adding that it hoped a new government would soon be formed "with a clear European agenda".
In a statement, it added that - so long as "necessary conditions are met" - the outcome of the election "should enable Serbia to advance further on its EU path, including candidate status".
Lucic had earlier told AFP that Tadic's DS-led alliance was "convincingly winning these elections."
That trend was confirmed by the Republic Electoral Commission, Democratic Party, and the Radicals, which gave the DS 35.1 percent, 38.8 percent and 37.1 percent, respectively.
The elections came three months after ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
That was believed to have bolstered nationalists who want stronger ties with Russia, China, Arab and African nations instead of countries that have helped to slice off a territory most Serbs consider the cradle of their history, culture and Orthodox Christian religion.
Held in conjunction with municipal and local polls, the elections went ahead in Kosovo despite objections from the United Nations mission in the breakaway ethnic Albanian-majority province.
Some 40 countries led by the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan and most EU nations have recognised Kosovo's independence, fuelling anti-Western anger, protests and violence in Serbia.
The Democrats will now need to form a coalition with at least one other party including the Socialists, founded by Milosevic, and the Liberal Democrats, whose leader Cedomir Jovanovic negotiated the late strongman's arrest in 2001.
"The Democratic Party will be the key player in the future cabinet," said Tadic.
"The negotiations will not be easy (but) I warn everyone not to play with the electoral will of the citizens and try to take Serbia back to the isolation of the 1990s," he said in reference to the Milosevic regime.
"I warn them not even to try this, because we will prevent it with all democratic means," added the Serbian president.
"Kostunica will not be the prime minister but I am ready to talk with him, like with everyone else."
A resigned Kostunica later appeared at a press conference in his DSS headquarters, and attempted to blame the poor result on Kosovo, which he had made the cornerstone of his re-election campaign.
"It's not easy to go through another electoral process when a part of our territory is taken away," Kostunica told reporters.
"It is important to form a new cabinet (but) the Democratic Party of Serbia has no planned combinations." - AFP/de
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