Nikolic wins Serbian election runoff

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BELGRADE, Serbia, May 21 (UPI) -- Tomislav Nikolic claimed 49.8 percent of Serbia's presidential runoff vote, beating Boris Tadic, who took 47 percent, the country's electoral commission said.

Election results indicated Serbian Progressive Party candidate Nikolic won in Belgrade and central Serbia in Sunday's election while the Democratic Party's Tadic only won Vojvodina, Beta and Tanjug reported Monday.

Center for Free Elections Program Director Marko Blagojevic said voter turnout was 46.3 percent, lower than in any elections since 2004, Beta and Tanjug reported.

Socialist Party of Serbia leader Ivica Dacic told Blic Nikolic's election would complicate the country's political scene and urged the formation of a new government quickly, B92 reported. He said the previous coalition agreement with the Democratic Party remained valid but the runoff set up a new situation in the country's political scene.

"This means that the president will appoint a prime minister designate and the question is to whom he would give the mandate. Everything will certainly be more complicated," Dacic told Blic.

The Socialist Party, the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia and the United Serbia coalition struck an agreement with the Democratic Party-led coalition after the May 6 elections to begin talks about forming a joint government after the second round of the presidential election, B92 said. The agreement was based on a presumption that Democratic Party-led coalition candidate Tadic, Serbia's president until April, would win the presidential runoff election.