Serb reformists scent landslide victory

Djindjic: Getting ready to be prime minister

Initial exit polls after Serbia's parliamentary election suggest President Vojislav Kostunica's reformist allies are heading for a clear victory.

According to the projections the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition is likely to control the new parliament with nearly 65% of the vote against the Socialist's projected 14%.

It is pretty clear we have won

Zoran Djindjic

The DOS has already claimed victory in what appears to be another heavy blow to the Socialist party of former President Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Milosevic was ousted by popular revolt three months ago after he refused to acknowledge defeat in the Yugoslav federal elections.

The BBC's Central Europe reporter, Nick Thorpe, says this election is more important in some ways than the September vote, because real power in Serbia rests with the Serbian Government, not with the Government of the Yugoslav Federation.

'Huge job'

Official results are not expect until Sunday, but with exit polls confirming earlier opinion surveys, the reformists are already preparing for government.

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"It's pretty clear we have won," said Zoran Djindjic, who is expected to become prime minister.

"We will win the elections but a huge job comes afterwards."

President Kostunica had also expressed his confidence, after casting his vote just before midday.

"This is only a continuation of the work that started in September," he told reporters.

"Democratic reconstruction of Serbia and Yugoslavia will be completed after these elections."

Mr Milosevic had voted earlier in the day, making a rare sortie out of his high-security villa in Belgrade's exclusive Dedinje suburb.

Democratic reconstruction of Serbia and Yugoslavia will be completed after these elections

President Kostunica

Officials sprayed his finger with an invisible ink only detectable by an ultra-violet detector - a new measure introduced to stop voting fraud.

"We wanted to prevent him casting a second ballot," joked a member of the local electoral committee.

Mr Milosevic's opponents have frequently accused him of stealing votes during his 13-year rule.

Kosovo poll

Voters were choosing 250 members of parliament from among candidates of eight political parties and coalitions.

President Kostunica will now have friends in parliament

The Serbian Electoral Commission sent ballot papers to 12 out of 16 districts in Kosovo, the southern province that has been under international control since the Nato bombing campaign last year.

Other municipalities were excluded from the poll for security reasons, and a formal protest from the region was rejected.

The Electoral Commission put the number of potential Serb voters in Kosovo at about 100,000. A similar number are thought to have fled the province when Nato troops moved in.

The majority Albanian population in Kosovo ignored the election, but many Serbs were keen to participate to prove that Kosovo is still part of Serbia.