Reformer wins Serb presidency
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro (CNN) -- Boris Tadic, a pro-Western reformer with the Democratic Party, has won the Serbian presidential election, receiving 53.5 percent of the vote, while Tomislav Nikolic got 45.1 percent, an independent election group reported.
"From my point of view, this is a victory against the past," Tadic, 46, said in an interview with CNN International.
Tadic said he wanted to help bring his country into the European Union and work with the various parties in the Serbian parliament to develop a new new constitution for the country.
However, he admitted that his most daunting challenge was getting Serbia's economy back on track.
"We need more jobs to build new circumstances in Serbia," Tadic said.
Pressed on his thoughts as to the fate of ex-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, on trial for war crimes, Tadic demured, saying Milosevic's fate was "up to the Hague."
Nicolic, 52, the ultra-nationalist candidate of the Serbian Radical Party, conceded the election Sunday, according to his campaign manager, Dragan Todorovic.
Tadic had finished second to Nikolic in a crowded field of candidates during the first round of elections two weeks ago.
But Nicolic fell far short of securing a majority of votes, paving the way for Sunday's runoff election, according to the Belgrade-based Center for Free Elections and Democracy.
-- Journalist Slobodan Cagic contributed to this report.
