Serbia forms new government

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia formed a new government Thursday, four months after a general election in April began the hunt for a coalition partnership.

Center-right Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's new Cabinet won the support from 163 lawmakers in the 250-seat parliament. There will be 16 new ministries and three ministers without portfolio.

Vucic said the new government will have its first session Friday morning.

The Serbian premier had declared victory in April 24’s snap general election when his Progressive Party won the largest share of the vote, 48 percent.

Their Socialist Party coalition partners came in with 11 percent while the far-right Radical Party, whose leader Vojislav Seselj had been acquitted of war crimes at The Hague, took nearly eight percent.

The opposition Democratic Party took six percent of the vote, just passing the five-percent parliamentary threshold.