Serbia to hold snap polls in March

Serbia will hold early elections in mid-March, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) said yesterday, days after the Balkans country started talks on joining the European Union.
Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, the powerful head of the SNS, said party leadership "unanimously" backed his proposal to call the polls, the Tanjug news agency reported.
"My proposal is to check the will of the people," Vucic told a party meeting on Saturday, calling for the snap vote to be held on March 16.
"The time has come to give account of what we have done," Vucic said.
President Tomislav Nikolic is expected to dissolve parliament and call the polls by Wednesday, once he receives a formal government proposal, his office said.
Analysts say the SNS wants the early vote to capitalise on strong public support after the start of accession talks with the EU and the arrests of several former ministers and tycoons as part of the fight against corruption and organised crime.