Serbs and Other Europeans: After the Elections of May 2012

Serbian president Boris Tadic gambled... and lost. He organised parliamentary and presidential elections on the same day in May 2012, but his Democratic Party lost to the Socialists and the upstart Progressive Party, while he himself was ousted by the nationalist Tomislav Nikolic. Arguably, this unexpected reversal in Serbian politics is not a simple return to the authoritarian past of Milosevic days. In terms of Serbia's domestic politics it may even mark the next step of political normalisation. As far as the issue of Kosovo's status is concerned, the presidency of Nikolic and the new government of Progressives (SNS), Socialists (SPS) and Liberals (LDP) may even offer the international community an unexpected window of opportunity for a settlement against the backdrop of Belgrade's EU ambitions. The other two key issues on the Belgrade agenda -- the economic crisis and the process of EU integration -- are by and large beyond the control of any Serbian government. Adapted from the source document.