The presidential election is held in Serbia

At 7 a.m. local time (09:00 Moscow time), more than 8.5 thousand polling stations opened in Serbia - the next presidential election began. 6.5 million voters will have to elect the fourth since the establishment of a multi-party system in 1990, the head of the republic, reports ITAR-TASS.

The elections are organized in almost 300 sites in places of compact residence of the Serbs in Kosovo, which is now under the control of the Provisional Administration of the UN. The Albanian majority, requiring the independence of this region, refused to participate in the elections, did not assist in their organization and the UN administration in Kosovo.

Milan Milutinovich’s current president of Serbia expires on January 5, 2003, and literally the next day after that he can go to the Hague, because there are accusations against him for the international tribunal for allegedly committed together with his former head Slobodan Miloshevich, war crimes.

11 participants in the presidential race represent almost the entire range of political forces of Serbia. The main struggle for the presidential post unfolded between the two representatives of the democratic forces - the current president of Yugoslavia by the Voisislav Koshtunitsa and Deputy Prime Minister Sryt Mirolyub Labus.

The elections, most likely, will be recognized as an end: according to the forecast, about 65 percent of voters will take part in them. According to local laws, if none of the candidates gains more than half of the votes of the election participants, then within the next 15 days the second round of voting should take place, which will enter two candidates who have received the largest number of votes in the first round.

The first preliminary voting results will be known on Sunday by midnight, and official results will be declared, as expected, by Thursday.