Blow to Kostunica as Serb poll is declared invalid because of low turn-out

Serbia failed to elect a president yesterday in a severe setback to the Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica, who defeated his rival in a second round run-off only to have victory snatched from him by the cancellation of the vote.

The election was declared invalid because only 45.5 per cent of voters turned out, well below the legal minimum of 50 per cent. Voter apathy, and a boycott call from Serbian nationalists, were blamed for the poor figure. The failure could herald a period of instability for former Yugoslavia and the possible election of a protégé of Slobodan Milosevic by December.

Mr Kostunica failed to obtain the necessary majority for victory in the first round against the Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister, Miroljub Labus, and nine other candidates two weeks ago.

The cautious Mr Kostunica was campaigning for a gradual reform programme while Mr Labus, who is close to the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, advocates economic shock therapy.

Mr Kostunica is looking for a new job because his current post will change when the Yugoslav federation is revamped.

Turn-out in the first round was also low, with 55 per cent of the 6.5 million voters making it to the ballot boxes.

Under existing electoral rules devised by the Milosevic government, polling is only valid if 50 per cent of voters turn out.

The results of yesterday's second round produced a 66.7 per cent win for Mr Kostunica, compared with 31.3 per cent for Mr Labus.

The person who is likely to gain most from yesterday's debacle is the ultranationalist Vojislav Seselj, who ranked third on 29 September.

Mr Milosevic called on his supporters to vote for Mr Seselj from his prison cell in The Hague, where he is on trial before a United Nations tribunal for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, Mr Seselj called on his supporters and sympathisers of Mr Milosevic to boycott the presidential run-off, hoping for stronger results in the re-run, which will have to be held by the end of the year.

Fears are mounting that the rise in popularity of Mr Seselj could damage Serbia's fragile democracy. Although Mr Milosevic no longer runs the country, his shadow still hangs over Serbia because his laws have prevented Serbia from installing a new president for the next five years.

The reform-oriented authorities in Serbia, the larger sister of tiny Montenegro in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, will probably have to change Mr Milosevic's electoral laws to align them more with those in Western Europe.

The mandate of the current Serbian president, Milan Milutinovic, expires on January 5.

Mr Milutinovic is the only indictee of the United Nations war crimes court charged with abuses in Kosovo who is still at large. He is widely expected to join his mentor, Mr Milosevic, in detention when he loses his job.