Who Won The 2007 Serb Parliamentary Elections And What Does The Result Mean For The Region?

The ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) won the most votes in Serbia's 2007 parliamentary elections, held on 21 January. The SRS garnered 29%, with the closest rival, the moderate, pro-Western Democratic Party (DS) picking up 23%.

Despite the SRS electoral victory, most observers think that it is very unlikely that the ultranationalists will be able to form a coalition, since a number of smaller, centrist parties can unite and control the majority of seats in the Serb legislature. It is possible that the DS will form a coalition government with the conservative Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), which received 17%, as well as possibly a small liberal group called "G-17", which won just over 6% of the votes.

There is some concern, however, that the new coalition may be in for stormy waters if the United Nations (UN) recommends independence for Kosovo, a Serbian province administered by the UN since the 1999 war in Kosovo, which it is likely to do within a few weeks. This could help the nationalist SRS win an absolute majority in the next election, as it has been the most vocal opponent of independence for Kosovo. Unlike most other parties in the Serbian parliament, the SRS is anti-EU and anti-western. Some worry that an SRS government would mean a return to Serb ultra-nationalism and regional instability.