Serbia’s Election: A Zealot in Power

THE outgoing prime minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, called it a “political tsunami.” Members of Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) said the election on March 16th went beyond their wildest dreams. For the opposition, the rout was beyond their worst nightmares. Mr Vucic, who will now become prime minister, can even govern without a coalition partner. Nobody has had so much power in his hands since the dark days of Slobodan Milosevic, whom Mr Vucic once served.Mr Vucic’s SNS (and its allies) took 157 of the 250 seats in parliament; Mr Dacic’s Socialist coalition 45; the former ruling Democratic Party 19; and the New Democrats of Boris Tadic, a former president, 18. Much political deadwood has been cleared away, including Vojislav Kostunica, a right-wing nationalist and Eurosceptic.Although he will not need coalition partners, Mr Vucic may well want them, not least to have others to blame when things go wrong. Still, even if he brings in Mr Tadic or Mr Dacic, there is no getting away from the fact that he is now the undisputed and unofficial master of Serbia. All responsibility will now lie with him. There will be no strong opposition in the new parliament.During the Yugoslav wars Mr Vucic was a fanatical nationalist who wanted to create a Greater Serbia on the ruins of Bosnia and Croatia. But he no longer makes messianic and blood-curdling speeches. Instead,…

The Economist: Europe