Serbian President Boris Tadic on Tuesday called parliamentary elections for May 6 when Serbian citizens will decide which parties and coalitions will enter the 250-seat parliament.
The elections will be held according to the proportional election system in which the entire country represents a single constituency.
According to the Serbian register of political parties, there are currently 87 political parties, but it is still uncertain how many of them will take part in the elections. The parties of the ruling coalition and the opposition have already announced they will run in the election, some independently and some in coalition with others.
The last parliamentary elections in Serbia were held in May 2008 when 22 slates, including 10 minority slates, ran for seats in parliament.
The leading party of the incumbent ruling coalition - the Democratic Party (DS) led by President Boris Tadic, has already signed coalition deal with the Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDPS), led by incumbent Labour Minister Rasim Ljajic.
Tadic said on Saturday that his party would run in the elections in coalition with the SDPS, the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), led by Nenad Canak, the Democratic Christian Party of Serbia (DHSS), led by Olgica Batic, the Green party and representatives of national minorities.
Tadic's DS, in a ruling coalition with several small parties, is trailing in polls behind the opposition Serbian Progressive Party of conservative Tomislav Nikolic, but neither is likely to claim a majority to govern alone.
Tadic said on Saturday that after the election, the DS will not enter big coalition and form a government with Nikolic's party, the Democratic Party of Serbia, led by former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, or with the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), led by ICTY indictee Vojislav Seselj.
The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by incumbent Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, signed a coalition deal with the Jedinstvena Srbija (JS) party and the Pensioners Party (PUPS).
