(24 Apr 2016) Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic cast his ballot on Sunday in an election that is seen as a test of his proclaimed bid to lead the Balkan nation to the European Union, amid an ultra-nationalist surge which favours close ties with Russia instead.
Vucic called the election two years early, saying he needed a new mandate to press ahead with tough reforms demanded by the EU as the country faces deep economic and social problems.
But his opponents say he really wants to tighten his autocratic rule and win another four-year mandate while he's still popular.
The populist Serbian Progressive Party led by Vucic, who has transformed from an extreme nationalist into a pro-EU reformer, is slated to win most of the 250 seats in parliament.
Whether Serbia remains firmly on the EU path, or sways away from it, will depend on whether the party gets enough votes to rule alone or if it has to form a coalition government with some anti-Western group.
The right-wing revival has seen growing support for the Serbian Radical Party, headed by firebrand nationalist Vojislav Seselj who is predicted to return to Parliament after being acquitted of war crimes by a UN tribunal.
While no major surprises are expected, Sunday's vote could tilt Serbia to the right.
Any rekindling of nationalism in the Balkans is considered more dangerous than in the rest of Eastern Europe because of the wars in the 1990s that claimed some 100,000 lives.
Western countries have sought to pacify Balkan nations by keeping them on track for EU membership, but this could fail if Serbia gives up EU integration and turns to Russia instead, analysts say.
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