Eurasia Press & News
Serbia’s pro-Western president Boris Tadic narrowly won re-election on Sunday in a vote seen as a referendum on the country’s future ties with the European Union as it faces the loss of the breakaway province of Kosovo.Here is a brief description of the functions and powers of the largely symbolic post, which has a 5-year mandate.
* The president has final approval of all laws and has the right to return legislation to parliament.
* He may dissolve parliament at the proposal of the government.
* He is supreme commander of Serbia’s armed forces.
* In an emergency, if the parliament is prevented from convening, the president, prime minister and parliament speaker decide together on proclaiming a state of emergency, and also a state of war.
* When taking his oath, the president is obliged to declare he “will devote all his efforts to preserve the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia’s territory, including Kosovo as its constituent part.”
