"The citizens of Serbia have confirmed Serbia's European path," he said. "Serbia will be in the European Union. We have promised that, and we will fulfill that."
Tadic, however, acknowledged his nationalist rivals could still team up against his Coalition for a European Serbia and try to form Serbia's next government. Any alliance that can muster a simple 126-seat majority in the 250-seat parliament can govern, and nationalists indicated they would mount a challenge.
Although Tadic's coalition appeared assured of 103 seats, the Radicals were poised to get 76 seats. If they joined forces with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's conservative coalition, with 30 seats, and the Socialist Party of the late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, with 21, the combined strength would be 127 seats.
Radical leader Tomislav Nikolic urged his allies to pull together, and said he would meet today with Kostunica and the Socialists to form a government, "because ideologically we are very close."
Nikolic also accused Tadic of inciting violence by proclaiming victory. But Tadic made clear he saw Sunday's outcome as a mandate to take the divided country into the EU.
"I'm sure that those who wanted to return Serbia to the 1990s will try to overturn the electoral will of the people, but I will not allow it," Tadic told supporters, adding that he would propose a new prime minister from his own bloc.
Tadic's opponents said their own vote tabulations confirmed the pro-Western forces' victory - an astonishing turnabout after weeks of speculation that the Radicals and Kostunica together would sweep to victory. The results instead left Kostunica fighting for his political future.
Kostunica said his differences with Tadic's coalition were "insurmountable," and that he was open to talks with the Radicals.
Official results were not expected until today, but the state electoral commission issued partial results that corresponded to the projections of the Center for Free Elections and Democracy and the tabulations of the main parties.
