Serbians to elect new president in April

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbians will go to the polls on April 2 to elect a new president, it was confirmed on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Belgrade, parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic urged citizens to participate in the election and said candidates should act responsibly.

"I hope that the most appropriate candidate for president will be elected to safeguard Serbia's stability, sovereignty and independence," said Gojkovic.

Earlier, current Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, former Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj and Serbian nationalist "Dveri" Movement leader Bosko Obradovic announced they would run.

The president of Serbia -- directly elected for five-year terms -- has largely a symbolic position in the country of seven million people.

However, Vucic’s campaign has already suggested a change in the symbolic nature of the post.

A Vucic campaign video tells a story of two pilots, symbolizing the prime minister and the president, who argue about the direction of the plane, causing passengers to panic.

Vucic then says: "The governance of our country, just like this airplane, has been entrusted to two persons. The president and the prime minister. If these two men lead the country in different directions, we will not be able to maintain our present stable course."

The new president is expected to deal with the current migrant crisis. There are currently about 7,000 migrants in Serbia, waiting for Hungary or Croatia to let them enter EU territory.

After campaigning, if one of the candidates in the first round is unable to secure more than half of the vote, the election goes to a second round.

In the second round, the two candidates with the most votes from the first round will face off against each other. The candidate who receives the most votes in the second round wins.

Current President Tomislav Nikolic's term will come to an end on May 31.

Serbia is currently an EU candidate country but has opposed the implementation of sanctions against Russia.