Serbia: 2004 Presidential Elections

Publication Date: June 2004

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Politics

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Abstract:

Serbia, the larger republic within the Serbia and Montenegro union, held presidential elections on June 13 and 27, 2004. While the actual powers of the republican presidency are not very extensive, the election outcome was expected to signal the political direction of Serbia and its prospects for closer relations with the international community. In the first round of voting, Tomislav Nikolic, leader of the extremist Serbian Radical Party, and Boris Tadic, candidate of the opposition Democratic Party, came in first and second place in front of 13 other candidates. In the second round, Tadic defeated Nikolic, 54% to 45%. Calling the results a victory for "a European future" over radical nationalism, Tadic pledged to guide the country closer to European Union membership. However, Tadic's victory may trigger still more political changes, including early parliamentary elections. A related CRS product is CRS Report RL30371, Serbia and Montenegro: Current Situation and U.S. Policy, by Steven Woehrel.