Serbia's Vucic picks ally Vucevic as PM-designate

"I believe that Milos Vucevic has the professional and personal qualities to perform the function of the prime minister," Vucic said in a statement published by SNS on Saturday.

Vucevic took the reins of the SNS party last year, replacing Vucic.

With 113 seats in the 250-seat parliament, SNS, which won the national election on Dec. 17, will need to seek coalition partners to establish a government. Their traditional ally, the Socialist Party of Serbia, holds 13 seats.

Vucevic is expected to form a government in the coming weeks.

The new prime minister will continue to implement programmes aimed at raising the standard of living of all citizens, projects in the fields of health, education, science and technology, infrastructure development, ecology, energy, agriculture, tourism, as well as in other areas of importance for the future of Serbia and its progress on the path to EU accession, said Vucic.

Serbia's outgoing Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was elected as the parliament speaker by the new parliament last week. Vucevic served as defence minister in the government of Brnabic.