Serbia's Tadic urges voters to support his European policy

(BELGRADE) - Serbia's incumbent President Boris Tadic urged voters Wednesday to support his pro-European policies by re-electing him this weekend for a last five-year mandate at a final rally in Belgrade.

"We know how to move forward, (and are) deeply convinced that we will manage to win a place (in the EU) which our country and our people deserve," Tadic told a crowd of up to 3,000 people at the central Belgrade Square of the Republic.

The pro-European leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DS) said "the elections are an opportunity to fight for our choice: a European and prosperous Serbia reconciled with everybody".

"We are a political organisation turned only towards the future... and we never give up," Tadic said, being cheered by supporters carrying Serbian and EU flags and chanting his name.

Serbia holds local, regional, parliamentary and presidential elections on Sunday.

The latest surveys show that the main opposition Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), former hardline nationalists who have since turned towards conservative populism, can expect to win 33.5 percent of the votes while Tadic's party would get 28.3 percent.

However, analysts forecast that Tadic's DS was more likely to form a new government as it has a better potential to make coalitions.

Tadic and his main challenger Tomislav Nikolic of the SNS are neck-and-neck in the presidential race, with 35.7 and 36.1 percent in the first round on May 6, facing a run-off two weeks later, according to the polls.

Analysts estimate that Tadic will win the presidential race in the run-off.