Divided Serbians voted in large numbers Sunday in snap general elections that gave them the stark choice of entering or rebuffing the European Union after the trauma of losing Kosovo.
The Republic Electoral Commission said "record" numbers were turning out, with 10 percent of the electorate voting in the first three hours of what many consider to be the most important poll since the fall of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic. The ultra-nationalist Radical Party, which supported Milosevic, is running neck-and-neck with a pro-European alliance spearheaded by President Boris Tadic, each credited with around one third of the vote, according to latest surveys. Their rivalry again came to the forefront as they cast votes.
Radicals leader Tomislav Nikolic vowed to end Serbia's integration with the European Union unless it accepts Kosovo, which declared its independence on February 17, as a part of the country.