Peacekeepers: Serbia prepares for second round in elections

Milan Milutinovic, the Serbian Foreign Minister, and Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj will fight a second round in elections later this month for Serbia's presidency, their parties said yesterday.

Mr Milutinovic, the candidate of the Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's ruling Socialist Party, won the largest share in the first round on Sunday but failed to gain an overall majority. Ivica Dacic, the Socialist spokesman, said: "There will be a second round in two weeks with Milutinovic and Seselj running."

SRS estimates that Mr Milutinovic won around 43 per cent of the vote compared with Mr Seselj's 32.5 per cent, and that the turnout among the 7.2 million electorate was only 51 per cent. The voter turnout must exceed 50 per cent of the electorate for a valid result.

A Seselj victory would antagonise the United States and the European Union. The Radical Party (SRS) leader would be even less co-operative than Mr Milosevic in complying with the Bosnian peace process, including the surrender of indicted war criminals.

- Reuters, Belgrade