While the ruling parties in Serbia’s reactions to the election of Zoran Milanovic for the new President of Croatia, were lukewarm, the opposition said his victory was the gain for democracy, N1 reported.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic sent one-sentence telegram, while the other ruling coalition parties did not react.

Serbia’s opposition, however, greeted Milanovic’s victory.

The first to congratulate was Serbia’s Modern Party saying it was “yet another successful step toward a continuous development of democracy.”

Social-Democrats led by Serbia’s former President Boris Tadic sent a message to its sister party, Milanovic’s Social-Democrats, saying his “victory is a victory over malicious populist politics in Croatia and a positive impulse for dethroning all populist leaders in the region.”

The Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) sent a similar congratulatory note to Milanovic. “We are especially happy because the policy, which rightly says the war was over a long time ago and it’s needed to look forward, won. And we see the future as the time of economic cooperation, tolerance, respect of differences and good relations among peoples in this part of Europe,” the PSG statement said.

The League of Vojvodina’s Social-Democrats congratulated Milanovic, saying his victory was “a stimulus to all democratic and progressive political forces in the region.”

At the same time, the leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party Cedomir Jovanovic tweeted his wish that “Croatia’s fifth President finds a new way and power to be different from everything so far, because”, Jovanovic added,” we all need him like that.