Tactical move
April 5, 2012
Serbian President Boris Tadic said Wednesday he was resigning, paving the way for an early presidential election on the same day as parliamentary and local polls.
"I decided to shorten my mandate as president of the republic to allow general elections to be held on May 6 in Serbia," Tadic announced in Belgrade.
Tadic's resignation is regarded as a tactical move to keep his ailing Democratic Party (DS) in power. Despite being personally popular, Tadic has watched his party' popularity among voters fall.
Tadic's presidency was set to expire in February 2013, and parliamentary polls were scheduled for the end of this year. But Tadic feared his chances for another term in office might have been poor on the heels of the parliamentary vote.
Banking on popularity
His resignation could allow the DS to benefit from Tadic's personal popularity. It's a popularity that is not founded on economic success: Serbs generally blame Tadic and the DS for the country's economic and social plight.
Average monthly income in Serbia is 350 euros ($460) and nearly one out of four Serbs is unemployed. But in March, the former Yugoslav republic became an official candidate for EU membership - a step that contributed to Tadic's popularity.
"It is very important that the political cycle is completed," Tadic said after the country signed the agreement with the EU. "Candidate status marks the end of the first stage of our political cycle, now the second part awaits us - the economic and political reforms."
But there is still one major stumbling block on the road to the EU. Serbia still doesn't recognize the independence of former Serbian province of Kosovo. However, it is a position shared by a handful of current EU members, including Spain and Romania.
Basing success on discontent
Experts caution that it remains unclear if Tadic's strategy of early elections will indeed pay off and give him another term in office.
His toughest opponent, nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic, is the head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), who has tacit support from Russia. As Tadic's party falls out of favor with voters, the SNS has become increasingly popular.
The upcoming presidential vote is likely to be a tight race - Tadic only narrowly beat Nikolic in their last two contests.
"Everything depends on the dissatisfaction of voters who want reforms," said Neven Cveticanin of the Belgrade Institute for Social Sciences. "If they are disappointed and disenchanted and end up not voting then the recently resigned president and his party will have a hard time."
Author: Sasa Bojic / db
Editor: Andreas Illmer