Serbia: Time For Voting, And Tennis
- February 4th, 2008
- Posted by EUEditor
A democratic exercise in Serbia – re-election of the “pro-Western†President, Boris Tadic (3.2.08) – has seen the country edge significantly closer to membership of the European Union.
Still, national feeling remained well-and-truly alive with the public feting of the country’s latest sports hero, tennis player Novak Djokovic, fresh from his Grand Slam victory in Australia.
ELECTION OUTCOME
In a high voting turn-out, electors gave 50.5% support to Mr Tadic and his program for jobs growth and negotiation of a unity agreement with Europe.
His nationalist opponent, Tomislav Nikolic, favoured much closer ties with Russia; and wanted to be less compromising than the present government in opposing independence for the disputed Kosovo region.
TENNIS OUTCOME
Novak Djokovic, 20, has been receiving back-home adulation, fresh from his Australian open win at Perth against the charismatic unseeded Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 27.1.08.
Europeans emerged triumphant in the Grand Slam series, in Australia, Russia’s Maria Sharapova winning the women’s title over Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic; and yet another Serb, Jelena Jankovic, got to the semi-finals.
Reference: See EUAustralia, “Headline Week” 22.1.08 , “Kosovo Stand-off” 19.12.07.
Picture: Novak Djokovic, commons-wikipedia.