Serbs are voting in snap elections Sunday to elect a government which will steer their country either toward closer ties with the West or away from it, dpa reported.
The 6.75 million registered voters would chose the next cabinet from 22 party and coalition tickets, but eventually with only two choices at disposal - toward the European Union or away from it.
Leading in popularity surveys was the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS), followed closely by President Boris Tadic's pro- European Democratic Party (DS), with its partners G17.
SRS wants to turn Serbia to Russia, India and China. It's leader Tomislav Nikolic even said he was hoping that Moscow would some day launch an alliance of countries "response" to EU influence.
But though far ahead from any other, neither of the top parties was tipped to win more than a third of the ballots cast, meaning that a three-way coalition would need to be forged for a majority.
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) has grown increasingly hostile to the West in the wake of Kosovo's split from Serbia and appears to be a natural ally for SRS.
Kostunica and Nikolic have both pledged to revoke the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) Tadic signed with EU on behalf of Serbia two weeks ago, in a major step toward membership.
Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) already said it would follow Kostunica, so eight years after they were ousted along with Milosevic, the SRS and SPS appear set to return to with Kostunica and EU membership appears more distant despite the signed SAA.
Kostunica has led the past two cabinets, since early 2004, despite never having the most seats in parliament and who would again hold the keys even if he wins the predicted 13 or so per cent of votes.
In case predictions of pollsters come true, Tadic and DS would only have a shot at a majority if he reconciles with Kostunica.
That seemed unlikely even before the two leaders exchanged hard and low blows in a dirty campaign - after all, their alliance has kept the expiring government alive less than a year.
Only one more party, the fiercely anti-Milosevic and pro-European Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to clear the 5-per cent hurdle to qualify for parliament, along with minority tickets.
Apart from being billed as another crucial election, the campaign for Sunday's vote was particularly intense because the parliamentary vote was called along with previously scheduled municipal elections.