Serb reformists celebrate landslide

A toast: Zoran Djindjic (right) and other coalition leaders

Serbia's reformist alliance has dealt a crushing blow to the Socialist party of former President Slobodan Milosevic, winning 65% of the vote in the republic's parliamentary election.

This is going to be the first government that will not be dealing with itself but with the interests of the citizens

Zoran Djindjic

Official preliminary results, with one third of votes counted, gave the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) led by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica 177 out of 250 seats in the Serbian parliament, and a free hand to form the government.

Mr Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia was in second place with 14% of the vote, and a projected 38 parliamentary seats.

The Socialists have already acknowledged defeat.

Champagne corks popped and balloons drifted above the cheering crowds at Belgrade City Hall as opposition supporters celebrated their second victory.

The BBC's Jacky Rowland in Belgrade says the reformist alliance now has a mandate to change Serbia in a fundamental way.

The economy will be a priority in the coming months, with an urgent need to recover from 10 years of mismanagement by the Milosevic regime and 10 years of being starved of foreign investment.

In the meantime, people are struggling to get by on wages that are worth less every month.

Coup de grace

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

Yugoslavia is now firmly on the road to integration into the European mainstream

UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook

But this is another important defeat, as the Serbian parliament and government are more powerful than their federal counterparts.

The powers of the Serbian government include responsibility for an 85,000-strong police force, and for major economic, financial and social policy.

The man set to become the next Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, said the result marked the end not only of Mr Milosevic, the Socialist party leader, but of what he called all dictatorships in Serbia.

Milosevic: Forced out after losing federal elections

"This is going to be the first government that will not be dealing with itself but with the interests of the citizens," he told reporters.

The Socialists, for their part, have pointed out that they will remain the largest single party in parliament because the DOS is an 18-party coalition.

The remaining parliamentary seats will be taken by two radical nationalist parties, the Serbian Radical Party of Vojislav Seselj, and the Serbian Unity Party founded by the late paramilitary warlord Arkan.

Low turnout

Our correspondent says the strong performance of the party formed by Arkan, who was assassinated at the beginning of the year, is the biggest surprise of the elections.

President Kostunica will now have friends in Serbia's parliament

Parties led by the veteran opposition leader Vuk Draskovic, and Mr Milosevic's wife, Mira Markovic, failed to win any seats.

Monitors said turnout was lower than anticipated at 58.7% of around 6.5 million eligible voters.

Britain, which played an important role in last year's Nato bombing campaign against Serbia, was quick to welcome the election result.

"The Serbian people's decision on December 23 is a final rejection of the Milosevic era," UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said in a statement.

"(Yugoslavia) is now firmly on the road to integration into the European mainstream."