LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic wins presidential elections in first round (RTS/RTV/Beta/Tanjug)

 

The Republic Election Commission (RIK) announced the latest results based on 92 percent of polling stations, i.e. 91.39 percent of processed electorate. There are 672 unprocessed polling stations or 8 percent of the electorate. Based on the percentage of processed electorate, 3.349.756 voters cast their votes, i.e. turnout was 54.60 percent. The percentage of valid ballots was 98.33 percent, and invalid 1.67 percent. The following sequence is on the ballot:

1. Sasa Jankovic – 545.039 votes or 16,27 percent
2. VukJeremic – 189.052 votes or 5,64 percent
3. MiroslavParovic – 10.651 votes or 0,32 percent
4. SasaRadulovic – 47.325 votes or 1.41 percent
5. LukaMaksimovic –316.068 votes or 9,44 percent
6. AleksandarVucic – 1.845.736 votes or 55,10 percent
7. BoskoObradovic – 76.918 votes or 2,30 percent
8. Vojislav Seselj – 149.578 votes or или 4,47 percent
9. Aleksandar Popovic – 34.987 votes or 1,04 percent
10. MilanStamatovic – 40.345 votes or 1,20 percent
11. NenadCanak -  38.244 votes or 1,14 percentRIK President Vladimir Dimitrijevic said that the elections passed peacefully and democratically, that no significant irregularities were noticed, and that there have not been objections so far. He announced that RIK’s next press conference will be at 10am.Vucic wins 44.7 votes in Belgrade (Blic)Based on the preliminary results of one party headquarters, Vucic is in the lead in Belgrade with 44.7 votes, followed by Sasa Jankovic with 23.3 votes. Ljubisa Maksimovic received 12.9 votes, while 6.1 percent of Belgrade residents voted for Vuk Jeremic. Vucic: Important day to show direction Serbia wants to go (B92/Tanjug)In a statement for the media late on Sunday, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that over two million voters who turned out voted for him. Vucic stressed that he alone received 12 percent more than all the other candidates combined, and noted that the results from Kosovo and Metohija were still awaited - but that he expects to have convincingly won there as well. “I am very proud of the fact we received a huge number of votes in conditions that were anything but easy for us, this is an important day for us and it's important to show the direction Serbia wants to go. This victory is clean as a whistle and nobody can interpret it. I received 12 percent more than all the other candidates combined,” he said. “When you add to this number those who are not directly opposed - a huge majority in Serbia is in favor of continuing the (reform) process, the European road, in favor of maintaining traditional friendships with Russia and China,” Vucic said. “I am proud that I have won so much support in conditions that were not easy at all. It is important that the victory is clean, because I have won close to 430.000 votes more than all other candidates together”, he said. He especially stressed that he was not so convincingly victorious just because of the votes of ethnic Serbs – on the contrary. “I am very grateful to Bosniaks and Hungarians because in their areas we have had an excellent result and won more than 70 percent of votes,” he said and then listed several small municipalities where he won between 80 and 95 percent of votes.Vucic thanked the outgoing President Tomislav Nikolic for doing his job well and for not ‘tripping’ him even when this would perhaps be ‘politically useful’ for him. Vucic said that he would continue to be in the office of Prime Minister for another two months i.e. by the end of May, when Nikolic’s mandate should finish. It will be then known how the government will look like without him leading it, he said and promised that, if and when needed, he would be government’s “harsh critic” from the office of President. He also stressed an important circumstance that the elections were held without the smallest incident “and that was so far unrecorded – that no physical conflict happened in a single place”.SDPS leader Rasim Ljajic told Tanjug that Vucic won 72 percent of votes in the municipalities of Novi Pazar, Sjenica and Tutin. Ljajic said this result was based on 18 percent of processed sample.​​SNS: Vucic received 80 percent of votes in Kosovo and Metohija (FoNet) According to the results of the processed 80 percent of electoral material from Kosovo, Aleksandar Vucic received 80 percent of the votes, so that, once everything is summarized, he will have 56 percent of the votes at the level of entire Serbia, SNS official Nebojsa Stefanovic told a press conference. Statements by other presidential candidates (RTS)Among the first to address reporters was Jeremic, who said that “the first step towards achieving freedom” was made in these elections. “We are the end of a campaign that was mostly irregular, which was full of aggression, mainly towards me and my family, and all that spilled over onto election day, where there were many irregularities,” Jeremic told reporters. “Serbia is not a democratic state; we don’t have a democratic government, and soon we will also get a president who will be neither a democratic nor a legitimate president,” he concluded.He failed to directly congratulate Vucic on his electoral victory, saying that “in such [irregular election] condition he can only congratulate those who took part in such an election race.”The struggle continues already tomorrow,” Jankovic concluded.His partisan comrades tried to mitigate the obvious disappointed with claims that it is pointless to comment the election results before they are final and officials. “Seselj will address reporters in the following days, when the precise results are known and when our party analyzes them in detail,” said SNS official Vjerica Radeta.“Buying of votes, fear and irregularity, as well as abstinence decided the elections,” said the leader of the Enough Movement Sasa Radulovic. “We didn’t manage to take the people to the polls,” he said, claiming that Vucic won between 30 and 35 percent of the total election body.Milan Stamatovic said that the first result on the votes he won was an excellent result and represents a serious foundation for future political action. “We certainly will not stop on this. We are already working seriously for the next parliamentary elections, because this result gives us opportunity, possibility and hope that we can seriously join the political life in Serbia in some following period of two years,” he said.Miroslav Parovic congratulated Serbian citizens for the held democratic elections and the fact that no bad scenario occurred on the streets of the towns and villages even though manyhad hoped.Foreign diplomats congratulate Vucic on his victory (RTS/N1)Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz is the first foreign official who congratulated Aleksandar Vucic on the victory. “Congratulations to Aleksandar Vucic on being elected the President of Serbia. I’m looking forward to continuing the close cooperation between our two countries”.EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said he looks forward to work with the new President of Serbia - Aleksandar Vucic.The President of the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia Debora Serracchiani congratulated Aleksandar Vucic the victory in the presidential elections in Serbia. "I congratulate Vucic on a clear victory, we believe that our cooperation will continue and will strengthen," she said. Serracchiani said that "in recent years Serbia has made significant steps on the path of democracy and stability, running for a key role in the Western Balkans" and that "Vucic’s election confirms that."    Following the oath and the official taking of the office, the inauguration is awaited, which followed around days later in the case of Tomislav Nikolic. Up until that day, the public in Serbia will be dealing most probably with the election of the new prime minister, and according to unofficial information, one of the favorites for this post is the current Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic. It also remains to be seen what will Tomislav Nikolic do in his further political career, what will be his party status, considering the fact that he handed over the SNS to Vucic after he took the office of the president. At the same time, we will also see whether Vucic will remain at the helm of the SNS or whether he will “return” the party to Nikolic, or perhaps he will hand it over to some of his associates. Vucic will become only the fourth president of Serbia, which is a post that was introduced according to the Constitution in 1990. Before that, Serbia had the president of the Presidency. The post of the president was first taken by Slobodan Milosevic 27 years ago and he remained at this post until 23 July 1997. After that, the new president was Milan Milutinovic, who was the head of the state until 2002, the failed elections and the beginning of the “acting president” period where the acting presidents were parliament speakers Natasa Micic, Dragan Marsicanin, Vojislav Mihailovic and Predrag Markovic. It is interesting that Mihailovic was at this post for only one day. Boris Tadic became the third president of Serbia in 2004 and he remained at this post until 2012, when he “shortened his mandate” and slated elections where he lost from Tomislav Nikolic in the second round. The SNS leader, as the presidential candidate, said on one occasion that he “had some names” but didn’t publicly say who will replace him at the prime minister post. According to unofficial information, the first candidate is the current Finance Minister Dusan Vujovic, while the public speculates that the Minister for State Administration and Local Self-Administration Ana Brnabic could also become the prime minister. Since both Vujovic and Brnabic are not SNS members, there are also opinions that Vucic could be replaced by the high official of the ruling party and former justice minister Nikola Selakovic, who was left with without a post in the government following the past parliamentary elections.
12. The current Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic won the majority of votes at the presidential elections, and he will remain at this current post for around 60 days. The mandate expires to President Tomislav Nikolic on 31 May, when he will hand over the duty to his longtime party friend. This will be followed by the taking of oath, inauguration, as well as consultations with the representatives of parliamentary parties and talks on the new composition of the Serbian government and the prime minister. Vucic will assume the duty with the taking of the oath before the Serbian parliament, and his five-year mandate will also start on that day.
13. Nikolic to be president until 31 May (B92)
14. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko congratulated Aleksandar Vucic on his victory in the Serbian presidential election. "This victory testifies to the recognition that the Serbian people have toward your achievements as a Prime Minister. It shows that the nation hopes for new achievements, further progress and prosperity in the country," Lukashenko said in his congratulatory message addressed to Vucic. Lukashenko stressed that Belarus sees the expansion of ties with Serbia as an important direction in foreign policy and expressed optimism for the future. "Your recent visit to Minsk and concluded agreements will promote the development and improvement of our relations. I am confident that as President you will continue to advocate the development of cooperation between our two countries," Lukashenko said.
15. President of Belarus congratulated Aleksandar Vucic on his victory (N1)
16. She said that Friuli Venezia Giulia with Serbia has a lot of open issues "both in bilateral relations and in the framework of the Adriatic-Ionian region. We are very motivated to continue our work. In this sense, the July summit in Trieste will have to bring more concrete progress" concluded Serracchiani.
17. "I congratulate Vucic on his election as President of Serbia with a convincing result," wrote Hahn on his Twitter account and added “Looking forward to working with new President as partners and friends on EU accession. Serbia and EU better together!”
18. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern congratulated the presidential candidate Aleksandar Vucic on his election victory. Congratulations to Vucic. Stable Balkan and prosperous Serbia is in the interest of Europe and Austria” stated Austrian Chancellor.
21. DSS leader Aleksandar Popovic said that according to the data of this party, their result is between 1.2 and 1.3 percent. “Of course, we can’t be satisfied with the result, but we are satisfied because we went under our name and spoke about a clear and concrete policy and gave answer to questions that are bothering us,” he said.
22. Radulovic said that the opposition has no choice but to “rise from the dust” and continue the struggle. Radulovic also said that the conditions under which the elections were held were completely unfair and undemocratic.
23. Presidential elections were “extremely unfair”, Obradovic said earlier on Sunday - and repeated the claim after the outcome became clear. “There was only one candidate, presidential candidate of the government and a torture from the ruling party against all those with different opinions”, Obradovic said to the reporters in Cacak, western Serbia, after the voting. “Election fraud lasts as long as the election process. If you have a Prime Minister who is simultaneously a candidate for the President, with 92 percent of representation in the informative programs on large TV stations with national frequency and all the remaining ten candidates have eight percent of representation, then it is clear to everyone what the fraud is and that it has already happened”, he said. In his addressing to media after the elections Obradovic went one step further and said that “the only proper solution” would be to annul the elections. The way in which the voting in Kosovo was organized was enough to annul the elections, he said.
24. Among those most disappointed in the results was Seselj, who on Sunday evening avoided addressing the press, for the first time in more than 25 years since he first took part in elections.
25. “Those who tonight declared an electoral victory did so in line with how they conducted the election campaign. We do not need such a victory and such a Serbia,” he continued. “I have properly understood the voice of the citizens that I heard during the campaign; all those voices are clear to us and now we will wait for the real election results, under conditions of fair, fair media, fair behavior,” said Jankovic. “There is no more fear; our journey has only just begun.
26. The last of the major candidates to appear before reporters late on Sunday was Jankovic,who declared “a victory”, obviously pleased with the number of votes that he won under such difficult conditions. “Decency, dignity and honesty won: Serbia is no longer the same,” Jankovic said.
31. Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic said that the mandate to outgoing President Tomislav Nikolic expires on 31 May, after which consultations of the elected president of the state with parties and election of the prime minister will follow. ​
32. Vucic also recognized his opponents on several occasions, especially emphasizing that anti-system candidate Maksimovic/Preletacevic won almost 10 percent of votes, which made his own result even more impressive.
35.  

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Serbian presidential elections; reactions from B&H (Fena/Srna/RTRS)

 

Chairman of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic has stated that the victory of Aleksandar Vucic at presidential elections in Serbia is a guarantee that Serbia will preserve focus on European integration and regional stability, which is very important for whole Western Balkans. He also noted that cooperation between B&H and Serbia has been improving lately in spite of occasional disturbances, since it is based on mutual respecting of sovereignty and territorial integrity, connecting of infrastructure, development of economic cooperation, as well as on very demanding goals of further development of mutual trust.

SNSD leader and Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik congratulated Aleksandar Vucic for his victory at presidential elections in Serbia. Dodik is convinced that Serbia will continue the path of stability as an important factor in the region. Dodik announced that he will meet with Vucic in Mostar on Monday night.

RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic congratulated Aleksandar Vucic for his victory at presidential elections in Serbia. She stated: “Your policy represents continuity of successful policy that you conduct to the benefit of all citizens of Serbia. It is also important for us in the RS since I am sure that it will give additional impetus to successful cooperation between the RS and Serbia, which we have had so far within Agreement on Special Parallel Relations, for the sake of prosperity of our people.”

SDS leader Vukota Govedarica congratulated Aleksandar Vucic for his convincing victory at presidential elections in Serbia. Govedarica said that this victory guarantees internal political stability of Serbia and continuity of one successful policy that Vucic conducts. Govedarica added: “This is especially important from the aspect of complete regional position of Serb people, especially us in the RS. We are dedicated to the same values that you promote in Serbia, first of all the policy of peace, mutual respect and safety of all citizens on the territory of our countries, economic development and progress, social stability, rule of law and fight against crime, as well as European future of whole Western Balkans.”

Voting in Serbian presidential elections take place at two polling stations in B&H (TV1)

 

Serbian presidential elections took place on Sunday and citizens were able to choose among 11 candidates. B&H citizens with right to vote in Serbian elections were able to cast their votes at polling stations in the premises of the Embassy of Serbia in Sarajevo and the Consulate General in Banja Luka. The Embassy of Serbia confirmed that about 1,000 voters in B&H had the right to vote in presidential elections, of which 154 are registered in Sarajevo and between 700 and 800 in Banja Luka. President of Republika Srpska (RS) and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik voted for the president of Serbia at the Consulate General of Serbia in Banja Luka. On that occasion, Dodik told reporters that he exercised this right for the first time since he received Serbian citizenship. The President of the RS also underscored that he wants Serbia to continue along the path of further development and stability and to be one of the most important countries in the region in terms of stability and peace.

 

Dodik: By refusing to support Law on Excise Duties, SDS is playing political game at state level (RTRS)

 

SNSD leader Milorad Dodik stated on Sunday that this party is not familiar with possible reasons as to why SDS does not want to support the amendments to the Law on Excise Duties of B&H. Nevertheless, it would be good if the two parties talked about this issue, he said. According to Dodik, SDS is playing a political game in accordance with what suits them day after day. He deems it is absolutely clear that there is no majority at the level of B&H, where tasks are being postponed despite “serious pressures” coming from certain international factors. Dodik announced that the RS will be working to maintain its solvency even without the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the upcoming period, but this financial institution is a good opportunity at this point. He explained that this is not a matter of the IMF only, but also the arrangements and projects with other international financial institutions – the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Dodik reminded that the RS has adopted the reform laws and fulfilled all of its obligations referred to in the Letter of Intent for the IMF, including the adoption of the Labor Law and Law on Banks. Now it is time for other levels of authority to do the same, he added.

 

Dodik: SNSD MPs will not attend B&H HoR’s session on 5 April (Fena)

SNSD leader Milorad Dodik has confirmed in Banja Luka on Monday that SNSD MPs will not attend the session of B&H House of Representatives on 5 April at which amendments of Law on Excise Duties should be discussed. At the same time he accused SzP that they avoid to implement obligations that they agreed with in the joint statement of leaders. He said that SzP does this for the sake of their personal interests. Dodik also said that SDS has very serious talks on this issue with foreigners, during which they stated that they would vote in favor of excises if SNSD does it as well. He added that unlike SDS, SNSD does not have to give any promises to anyone but if necessary they can talk to SDS, that can initiate the talks instead of him.

 

Grabar-Kitarovic congratulates Vucic on election victory (Hina)

 

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Monday congratulated Serbian president-elect Aleksandar Vucic on his victory, saying she hoped they would find solutions to the outstanding issues between the two countries and pledging support for Serbia's European Union journey.

 

Membership in NATO will not endanger relations with Serbia (CDM)

 

President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic said that Montenegro’s membership in NATO cannot endanger good relations with Serbia. Vujanovic expressed his respect for Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, for all his good work on Montenegro-Serbia relations. “I am certain that his dedication to economic development and better life standard in Serbia has been recognized and this will show during the upcoming elections. I do not believe that our membership in NATO can endanger good relations with Serbia. It is a matter of our foreign policies, and they must be respected as an integral part of sovereignty of states”, said Vujanovic. President said he was certain that the Parliament of Kosovo would ratify the border agreement with Montenegro. “In Montenegro we have ratified this Agreement. We have understanding and patience for the Kosovo process. We expect that this is in Kosovo’s best interest, because their visa regime believe depends on the ratification”, Vujanovic said.

When asked what would happen if the ratification is not done, Vujanovic said that “he was certain that the matter would be resolved with patience within the Kosovo Parliament”.

 

Membership fee in NATO published (CDM)

 

The only financial obligation Montenegro will have towards NATO is a yearly membership fee in the amount of 450 thousand Euros, it was stated in the Communication team of Council for membership in NATO. “We often hear that NATO is asking 2% of GDP for membership, which is not correct. For Montenegro, a yearly membership fee will be 450 thousand EUR. The other set of expenses will be expenditures of national defense system, which Montenegro must have in any case. Budget for defense of Montenegro for 2017 is 50 million EUR, 5 million of which is from our own funds. NATO membership fee is completely acceptable and manageable”, the statement reads. The information on 2% of GDP pertains to funds allocated for the national defense system. There is a plan to reach this amount by 2024, as it was agreed on the Summit in Welsh three years ago, and Montenegro agreed to these terms. “Membership in NATO is defined by the possibilities of a country, based on its size, size of the military, strength of its economy. Montenegro is becoming a member of collective system of defense, and it must put its system in compliance with NATO systems. Investment seems small compared to what Montenegro will gain – quality system of defense and guarantees of safety of its citizens”, the statement concludes.

 

Prime Ministers of Montenegro and Albania congratulates Vucic on election victory (N1)

 

The prime ministers of Albania and Montenegro, Dusko Markovic and Edi Rama, welcomed the election of Aleksandar Vucic for the President of Serbia. At a press conference, after the talks with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Podgorica, Markovic said that Vucic will continue to work on further strengthening of relations with Montenegro from his new position as a President.

Markovic said that the relations between Montenegro and Serbia during Vucic premiership became "the best in the last 20 years". Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama agreed with the statement by Montenegrin Prime Minister and welcomed Vucic’s victory at the Presidential elections. "I agree with what was said Markovic and have nothing to add," said Rama.

 

VMRO-DPMNE presents “Manifesto for a Unified Macedonia” (Meta)

 

Members of the Executive Committee of VMRO-DPMNE, Antonio Milososki, Nikola Poposki and Ilija Dimovski presented the Manifesto for a Unified Republic of Macedonia, at the Centre of Communications of VMRO-DPMNE. The document is a “vision” of the party for the state, which they say is “the only home country for Macedonians, where citizens live united, with Albanian people, Turkish people, Vlach people, Serbian people, Roma people, Bosniak people and other people.” According to Milososki “Roadmap”, which was launched a few days ago, concerns the current political situation and overcoming the crisis, while the Manifesto is a document with guidelines, principles which relates to the the way the country will be ruled in the next 15 years.

“The first principle is to unite national interests, the second principle is the integration of society, the third principle is the rule of law for the success of the country and the fourth principle is the market economy for a better standard of living for every citizen,” said Milososki.

For the realization of the mission, Executive Committee member, Nikola Poposki stressed the establishment of regular dialogue between each government and opposition on issues of national interest. In regards to the name, he stated that a change to the Constitution will not be accepted in order to change its constitutional name. Executive Committee member, Ilija Dimovski stated that a census must be conducted in order for quality policy planning and constructive dialogue on inter-ethic issues.

 

Ivanov congratulates Vucic on Serbian presidential election (MIA)

 

President Gjorge Ivanov has congratulated Aleksandar Vucic on his win at Sunday's presidential elections in Serbia. "On behalf of the Macedonian citizens, it is an honor and pleasure to congratulate you on the presidential election and wish you success in the performance of this post", reads the note. President Ivanov expresses satisfaction from the continual development of bilateral relations and assurance that cooperation would be even more successful during Vucic's presidential term. "Building good neighborly relations, regional stability and cooperation, EU integration are Macedonia's priorities. I believe in the mutual preparedness for close cooperation in this field, for the well-being of our countries and people", adds Ivanov.

 

Rama-Meta 4 hours dinner to decide the future of the coalition (ADN)

 

The leaders of the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Parliament Speaker, Ilir Meta had a long dinner on Sunday to decide about the future of their coalition together. Their meeting took place in the 'New Bazaar' in Tirana in the presence of Tirana Mayor, Erion Veliaj and the Minister of Justice, Petrit Vasili, at the same time vice chairman of the Socialist Movement for Integration. The dinner started at 20:45 on Sunday and ended at 00:47 on Monday without any public declaration about the future of the coalition SP-SMI which officially ended on April 1. Further details are expected to be unveiled.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

EU Congratulates Vucic On 'Convincing' Win, Hopes EU Path Remains (RFE/RL, 3 April 2017)

 

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has congratulated Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on his "convincing" victory in a presidential election over the weekend, saying he was "looking forward" to working together on the Balkan state's accession to the bloc.

Vucic, who pledged his ruling Progressive Party would form a government in the next two months as he steps down as prime minister to take the presidency, won just over 55 percent of the vote with more than 90 percent of ballots counted, according to results shown at the State Election Commission headquarters on April 3.

The 46-year-old needed more than 50 percent of the votes to avoid an April 16 runoff against the next highest performer. Sasa Jankovic, a former ombudsman, was second, winning just over 16 percent, according to the commission.

Official results are expected later on April 3.

"Looking forward to working with new #President as partners and friends on #EU #accession.Serbia and EU: #bettertogether!" Hahn wrote on Twitter. Vucic is expected to use the presidency to appoint a figurehead successor as prime minister and to transform the presidency into a more powerful position to consolidate his power.

He has vowed to continue leading Serbia into the EU, but he also pushed for closer ties to longtime ally Russia, even meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the waning days of the campaign. "A huge majority of people in Serbia support continuation of the European path for Serbia, along with preserving our traditionally good ties with Russia and China," Vucic said, characterizing his victory as "crystal clear." Some observers, however, have voiced concerns that Vucic's dominance could push the Balkan country back into the autocracy that Yugoslavia's late strongman Slobodan Milosevic symbolized during his decade in power. A former ultranationalist who broke away from the Radicals in 2008 to establish the more moderate Progressive Party, Vucic has pledged his commitment to Serbia's goal of membership in the EU by 2019. At the same time, Vucic, an information minister under Milosevic, has brought Serbia closer to Russia with increased talk of military and economic cooperation.

The integration of the Western Balkans is a key policy goal of the EU and United States, which say they hope to stabilize a region ravaged by war and economic turmoil and riddled with political corruption. But many Serbs are disillusioned with the country's politicians as they struggle to shake off a legacy of political corruption that has taken root since it emerged following the 1990s conflicts that broke apart Yugoslavia. Reforms aimed at modernizing the economy and bringing Serbia into the EU have hit many workers hard, exacerbating the backlash. Longtime ally Russia, meanwhile, opposes the integration of Western Balkan countries, including Serbia, into the NATO security alliance, and the EU and is trying to extend its influence in the region.

With tensions simmering between ethnic Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, an ethnically charged political stalemate in Macedonia, and accusations of Russian interference in Montenegro's move toward NATO and the EU, concerns have grown over Serbia's direction and how it could reignite the Balkan powder keg. "Vucic benefits from his populist rhetoric and an image of a strong-handed leader able to successfully maneuver Serbia's interests between Russia and the West," according to Andrius Tursa, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence.

Just days before the vote, U.S. President Donald Trump told Vucic in a letter that EU membership "will help ensure a more prosperous and secure future for your country and the Western Balkans."

"Serbia's efforts to fully normalize relations with Kosovo also stand as further testament to how shared aspirations of peace can overcome even the most difficult challenges," said the letter, made public by the Serbian government.

With reporting by Alan Crosby in Prague and contributions from RFE/RL's Balkan Service, Reuters, AP, and dpa

 

Putin congratulates Vucic on winning Serbian presidential election (TASS, 3 April 2017)

MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin has sent a message of greetings to Serbian Prime Minister congratulating him on winning the presidential election, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

"Your convincing election win points to wide popular support for your efforts aimed at solving pressing economic and social tasks facing Serbia, as well as at pursuing a meaningful and balanced foreign policy," the message reads.

Putin also said that in Russia  Vucic is known as a strong supporter of boosting friendly relations between the two countries. The Russian president expressed confidence that Vucic’s activities as head of state would contribute to the further development of Russian-Serbian strategic partnership for the good of the two peoples.

On Russia's alleged interference

It was the Serbian people and not Vladimir Putin who elected the new Serbian president, so it is inappropriate to make allegations on whether Putin’s support for Vucic could have influenced the voters, the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.

"I believe it was not Putin who elected the Serbian president, but the Serbian people who took part in the voting," Peskov said. "As for what could have influenced them, it would be inappropriate to make any allegations," the Russian presidential spokesman added.