SERBIA: Pro-Western reformer Mr Boris Tadic won yesterday's presidential election in Serbia, defeating hardline nationalist Mr Tomislav Nikolic, who conceded the win only hours after the polls closed.
Mr Tadic of the centre-left Democratic Party won around 53.5 per cent of the votes against 45.1 per cent for Mr Nikolic of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party, the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CESID) said.
The projection from the usually reliable agency, broadcast live on Serbian television, was based on votes cast at a representative sample of 590 polling stations, out of a total of nearly 8,600. Official election results are expected today.
The outcome will come as a major relief for Western powers, who had feared Mr Nikolic as president would turn back the clock on political and economic reform launched after Mr Slobodan Milosevic was ousted four years ago.
They had clearly favoured Mr Tadic in what was seen as Serbia's most decisive election since Mr Milosevic fell, hoping he would help end feuding among its pro-democracy politicians and speed up stalled reform in one of Europe's poorest countries.
"Tonight we are closer to the European Union than we were this morning," said political analyst Vladimir Goati.
European Commissioner Mr Chris Patten last week described the vote as a choice between "joining the European family or Belarus", whose president, Mr Alexander Lukashenko, has been criticised for driving his country into isolation.
"I am convinced that Serbia will once more confirm it is going towards the European Union," Mr Tadic (46) said earlier as he cast his ballot in Belgrade.
Mr Nikolic had predicted a close race, saying Serbia with him as president would win back "its honour and dignity".