Serbia calls elections

Central European News Briefs

The Serbian parliament set the date for general and local elections for 6 May, moving quickly after the country was awarded official EU candidacy status on 1 Mar.

The ruling Democratic Party’s (DS) main rival is the centre-right Serbian Progressive Party under Tomislav Nikolic, which has headed the polls for years but has seen its lead over DS shrink to 3% according to the latest poll by B92, a Serbian media company.

Due to party alliances, DS could hold on to power with its current coalition partner, the Socialist Party, even if Nikolic wins with a lead of up to 7%, The Economist reported.

The current government has seen unemployment nearly double to 24% last November, but has made progress by sacking corrupt judges and improving relations with Kosovo.