Serb election: Readers' reaction

EU membership and nationality are at the heart of the Serbian debate

Results from Sunday's elections in Serbia indicate a win for President Boris Tadic's pro-European Union bloc.

The nationalist Radical Party, however, insists that it could still gather enough support to form a coalition government.

Readers from Serbia and the surrounding region have been sending their reaction to the results and predicting what could happen next.

SUPPORTIVE OF PRO-EUROPEAN UNION BLOC VICTORY

I couldn't believe that the Radical Party finally lost. It was the best news I have heard for a long time. I hope that the Socialist Party will agree to create a coalition with Boris Tadic. This is their great chance to show their new face and break with the past.
Luka Prisunjak, Belgrade, Serbia

Although I was not optimistic before the elections, this victory clearly gives hope to Serbia. Maybe we have finally decided to say goodbye to our past and are trying to turn ourselves to Europe and not to Russia as we had done in the past on several occasions. Hopefully I will be able to travel to Europe without a visa in a couple of years.
Kircan, Zrenjanin, Serbia

I am so happy and pleasantly surprised by the clear victory of the pro-European coalition. Still, the fight is not over yet. It will be very hard to form a government. It is still uncertain what the Socialists will decide to do, but I am an optimist today. I think we are becoming a progressive country. I just hope that the Liberal Democratic party will have 5% of votes and enter Parliament.
Sanja Prvulovic, Belgrade, Serbia

I'm so glad that the pro-EU bloc won. Nobody here expected a great victory with nearly 40%, and that is a big move forward for us. I hope the political wing which manipulates our national symbols will now lose its power and influence and leave the Serbian people to would be free to think about the economy, corruption and other real problems here. We are still afraid of a possible coalition between the losing parties. Theoretically, they could form a new government with 127 seats. It would be totally anti-democratic, because we clearly chose the bloc with pro-European ideals.
Zagorka Katanic, Kragujevac, Serbia

The election results in Serbia are a big surprise to everyone. No one, even in our wildest dreams, thought that the Democratic Party would be victorious and even less that they would beat the Radicals by so much. Now, it is very important to form a government with the Democratic Party [DS - led by President Tadic]. I wouldn't like to see PM Kostunica's party forming a coalition with the Democrats. This was one of the main reasons I voted for the small Liberal Democratic Party. I think it would be even better to form a coalition with the Socialists and finally start a normal path towards the EU. Serbia has had enough of the nationalists in power and I'm fed up with being seen as a bad nationalist country.
Tijana, Belgrade, Serbia

I am a Serb in Kosovo and I voted for the EU membership path. Mr Tadic did win fairly and I hope Serbia will have better relations with Kosovo and Albanians. Peace is what we need and I'm very happy about Serbia's future and hope Kosovo also has a good future ahead. I think the elections were good and I support Boris Tadic and his party.
Loran Mattas-Stankovic, Mitrovica, Kosovo

It is a good result for the Democratic Party, but it will be tough to form a government. In my opinion, there is a big chance that the Radicals will be able to form a coalition with Kostunica and the Socialists - and that will be disastrous for Serbia.
Dragan, Belgrade, Serbia

This is a very positive result. The European Union should now act quickly to lift the ban on travel and allow more Serbians (and Montenegrins) to become exposed to the liberal social values prevalent in Europe. Isolation is no longer a viable option.
Mike, Kotor, Montenegro

It's a great victory. It's a victory for Europe. It's a victory for all young people in Serbia who need a better life and more options. EU, here we come.
Nikola, Belgrade, Serbia

SCEPTICAL OF PRO-EU BLOC VICTORY

Victory for the pro-Europeans? What victory? What I see is a clear coalition of the radicals, Kostunica and the Socialists. These results actually mean that we, the cosmopolitan intellectuals, are still being held hostage in Serbia by the masses who deserve whatever they get.
Vidra, Novi Sad, Serbia

It would appear that we will, yet again, get some kind of coalition government which will neither spearhead us to or away from the EU, but rather spend money in order to buy time until the next elections.
Vladimir, Belgrade, Serbia

The best result possible. No one has a majority. It will be hard to negotiate a government. I truly hope we will have many elections in the years to come. Long live free Serbia.
Branko Goranovic, Belgrade, Serbia

Mr Tadic won the election but he can't form a government. The Socialists, Radicals and Kostunica bloc can, and they shall.
Nemanja, Vrbas, Serbia

It's incredible how many brainwashed people there are in Serbia who voted for Tadic! I heard that the Democratic Party bribed people to vote for them by giving them money and food. I hope the Radicals, Kostunica bloc and the Socialist bloc will form the new government. We need change, and not to be slaves of the EU and USA.
Milica Milivojevic, Belgrade, Serbia

The Tadic "victory" fosters the illusion that Serbs will forgive and forget EU members for nearly two decades of treachery, supine support of US colonialism, bombing and attacks on the integrity of the Serbian nation. The EU is a sinking ship that no self-respecting country would want to join.
Charles Alverson, Zemun, Serbia

One of my eyes is smiling, but the other is crying. I am glad that Mr Tadic's bloc has won, however, it's clear that he is unable to form a government without Kostunica or the Radicals. This is sad, because they will have to make some compromise and there will be a further roadblock towards the EU.
Szilvia, Senta, Vojvodina, Serbia

Yes, the pro-Western DS won in terms of percentage, but in order to form a stable government it needs the support of one of the "undesirable" parties. I'm just a bit scared that compromise to form a government could lead to another weak administration which won't have full support to carry through all necessary moves. Serbia needs to resolve economic problems that still persist from the 90s and the Nato bombing campaign.
Andi Spale, Belgrade, Serbia