Ethnic Hungarians could back Tadić, with strings attached

Ištvan Pastor says he could support Boris Tadić in the second round of the presidential vote.

Izvor: Tanjug

Tuesday, 08.01.2008.

19:27

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Istvan Pastor says he could support Boris Tadic in the second round of the presidential vote. Pastor, who is himself running in the January 20 ballot, is heading the Hungarian Coalition, as says this support will depend on the incumbent president's stance on the coalition's program. Ethnic Hungarians could back Tadic, with strings attached Tadic and Radical Tomislav Nikolic, are tipped to make it to the second round showdown on February 3. Nine candidates are running in the election. While Pastor excludes the possibility that his ethnic Hungarian alliance of parties could support Nikolic, he also notes that their support for Tadic comes with strings attached. In theory, endorsement by any of the candidates that fail to make it to the second round should bring their first-round votes to their run-off favorite. Pastor himself harbors no illusions that he could make it to the second round, but says he expects "plenty of votes", and adds he believes they will come from other ethnic communities, but also the Serbs, "especially those who are seeking decentralization of Serbia and autonomy for Vojvodina." Pastor, who is the president of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, one of the Hungarian Coalition parties, said he is in favor of that ethnic community's territorial autonomy in Serbia's northern province, and specified this would entail incorporating the eight Hungarian majority municipalities in the north into a territorial whole. The Hungarian Coalition election program also calls for Euro-Atlantic integration of Serbia, Hague cooperation and settlement of the Kosovo status issue. Pastor says that "only a peaceful solution is possible for Kosovo, that which will allow the Serb community in that province to stay, with guaranteed conditions not only to survive, but also to develop." "If the Kosovo status solutions, regarding the protection of minority communities, turns out to be better, more progressive that those currently existing in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia, we would like to, within an additional period of time, incorporate those solutions into the Serbian legal system as well," Pastor concluded.

Ethnic Hungarians could back Tadić, with strings attached

Tadić and Radical Tomislav Nikolić, are tipped to make it to the second round showdown on February 3. Nine candidates are running in the election.

While Pastor excludes the possibility that his ethnic Hungarian alliance of parties could support Nikolić, he also notes that their support for Tadić comes with strings attached.

In theory, endorsement by any of the candidates that fail to make it to the second round should bring their first-round votes to their run-off favorite.

Pastor himself harbors no illusions that he could make it to the second round, but says he expects "plenty of votes", and adds he believes they will come from other ethnic communities, but also the Serbs, "especially those who are seeking decentralization of Serbia and autonomy for Vojvodina."

Pastor, who is the president of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, one of the Hungarian Coalition parties, said he is in favor of that ethnic community's territorial autonomy in Serbia's northern province, and specified this would entail incorporating the eight Hungarian majority municipalities in the north into a territorial whole.

The Hungarian Coalition election program also calls for Euro-Atlantic integration of Serbia, Hague cooperation and settlement of the Kosovo status issue.

Pastor says that "only a peaceful solution is possible for Kosovo, that which will allow the Serb community in that province to stay, with guaranteed conditions not only to survive, but also to develop."

"If the Kosovo status solutions, regarding the protection of minority communities, turns out to be better, more progressive that those currently existing in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia, we would like to, within an additional period of time, incorporate those solutions into the Serbian legal system as well," Pastor concluded.

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