Election Win 'Toughens Vucic's Grip on Serbia'

Analysts giving instant reactions to Vucic's first-round poll win on Sunday suggested that his triumph puts the Progressive Party leader in an unprecedentedly strong position to take the country in his chosen direction for the next five years.

Zoran Stojiljkovic, a professor at the Belgrade Law Faculty, told N1 television on Sunday night that Serbia was now on the edge of becoming a "system of personal power" for Vucic. 

Stojiljkovic said that the power of the Progressive Party was now so strong that it could not only decide who gets the jobs at the top of the state apparatus, but at all levels of state employment.

Jovo Bakic, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, told N1 that Vucic's first-round win was not good for democracy in Serbia.

"[Society] will confidently and thoroughly collapse. But since we're used to it, it should be accepted with philosophical calm," Bakic said.

He suggested however that Vucic has the backing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met the Serbian premier during his campaign for the presidency.

"Vucic is important because he's able to guarantee security. Every authoritarian in the Balkan is excellent for them [the international community] while guaranteeing security. From the moment that he can't, they will search for another one," Bakic said.

According to preliminary results, published on Sunday by the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, CeSid, Vucic won with 56.1 per cent of the vote, securing a five-year term as Serbia's president.

The preliminary results put former Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic on 15.5 per cent, spoof politician Ljubisa Preletacevic - Beli on 9.6 per cent, the former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic on 5.7 per...