Most Popular Serb Leader Since Milosevic Set to Be President
- Prime Minister Vucic seen winning Sunday vote in first round
- Critics warn candidacy may result in Turkish-style power grab
Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic.
Photographer: Oliver Bunic/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The last time Serbia had a leader this popular, it was at war.
Almost two decades after NATO bombers forced Slobodan Milosevic’s troops from Kosovo, his former information minister, Premier Aleksandar Vucic, is headed for a landslide victory in Sunday’s presidential election. Unlike Milosevic, Vucic has promised to bring his country closer to the European Union. But he’s also tapped nationalist sentiment, championed ties with Russia, and maneuvered through the voting process in what his opponents warn is a power grab.