Nikolić je izglasan na tu funkciju 7. maja uz parlamentarnu podršku Demokratske stranke Srbije (DSS) premijera Vojislava Koštunice, kad je izgledalo da reformističke stranke u Srbiji neće moći postići sporazum o novoj koalicionoj vladi.
Nikolic had been voted into the post on May 7th with parliamentary support from Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), when it seemed the reformist parties in Serbia would be unable to agree on a new coalition government.