Tadic earns victory in Serb election

By Ellie Tzortzi

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's pro-Western President Boris Tadic won re-election on Sunday against nationalist challenger Tomislav Nikolic in a vote that will determine the country's future ties with the European Union.

The election commission said it was a narrow victory for Tadic, with a projected 51 percent of the vote.

The election was seen as a referendum on how Serbia should deal with the West after the imminent loss of the breakaway province of Kosovo. Tadic says European Union membership must remain Serbia's priority whatever happens. Nikolic advocates turning to Russia instead of the West.

"Tadic won, my congratulations," Nikolic said at his party headquarters. "I would like to call on everyone to stay calm."

Monitors put turnout at about 67 percent, compared with 61 percent in the first round two weeks ago. This would be the highest turnout since the 2000 election that ousted Slobodan Milosevic after more than a decade in power.

Political analysts had said only a strong turnout could counter the dedicated voters of Nikolic, who beat Tadic by 40 percent to 35.4 percent on Jan 20, in a field of nine candidates.

Both oppose Kosovo's independence drive. Nikolic wants Serbia to turn to Russia to punish the West for backing Kosovo's majority Albanians. Tadic is asking Serbs to swallow their pride and pursue EU membership.

Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian majority was looking to set a date for a declaration of independence after Sunday's result.