According to preliminary results published by the electoral commission on Monday night, Vucic's populist right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) received 46.7 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections, while the loose Serbian Alliance Against Violence , in opposition, received 23.5 percent. However, an international observation mission made up of representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the EU Parliament and the Council of Europe reported a series of “irregularities” during the vote, including cases of violence, voting purchasing and filling ballot boxes with false ballot papers.
According to the opposition, tens of thousands of residents of the Republic of Serbia Srpska were transported in buses to vote illegally in Belgrade. The main opposition force Serbia Against Violence (SPN) has appealed to the State Election Commission to cancel the election for Belgrade municipality. This should pave the way for new elections to be held in the Serbian capital.
Opposition leader on hunger strike
According to the opposition, around 40 thousand people received identity cards with fictitious home addresses in Belgrade. Opposition leaders Marinika Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic announced that they would begin an indefinite hunger strike until the Belgrade election results were annulled.
Serbia: Allegations of electoral fraud
“This is a clear victory and it makes me happy,” said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after parliamentary and local elections in 65 municipalities on Sunday. After 94 percent of the votes were counted, his Progressive Party (SNS) reached 47 percent. The opposition and election investigators accused the ruling party of electoral fraud and vote buying. The pro-European opposition called for protests in Belgrade.
OSCE election observers criticized Vucic's omnipresence on Monday. Even if he was not running in the elections, everything revolved around him, said election observer and ÖVP deputy Reinhold Lopatka. This led to “unfair conditions”. A “complete polarization” of Serbian society was also pointed out. Election observer and EU MEP Andreas Schieder (SPÖ) described the reports of fraud as “disturbing” – calling for an independent investigation.
Newcomer as a Possible Kingmaker
Although Vucic's SNS has also become the biggest force in Belgrade, according to preliminary results, it may lack partners to determine the next mayor in the municipal assembly. The kingmaker in Belgrade could now be the list of right-wing populist Branimir Nestorovic, who surprisingly reached the state parliament with 5% of the vote.
However, Nestorovic has so far ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with one of the two party alliances. The career change achieved its surprising success with a minimum campaign budget of around 12,000 euros, mainly through its social media presence.
Analysis of elections in Serbia
Political scientist Vedran Dzihic analyzes elections in Serbia.
“Serbia is certainly no longer a democracy”
“Serbia is certainly no longer a democracy. The elections showed that they were not free and fair,” said Southeast Europe expert Vedran Dzihic from the Austrian Institute for International Policy (oiip) in an interview with ORF III. There was no free and fair electoral contest: “The opposition cannot score points there”.
The election also gave the Serbian president time to deal with the EU and its efforts to clarify the Kosovo issue, Dzihic said. Vucic is unlikely to deviate from his previous course: no recognition of Kosovo, balance between the West on the one hand and Russia and China on the other. Especially on the Kosovo issue, Dzihic expected a stalemate and possible new tensions in the ORF interview. The EU has no opportunity to influence both sides.