Serbs vote in opinion polls overshadowed by the war in Ukraine
Serbs flocked to the polls on Sunday in an election likely to see an extension of populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s rule in the Balkan nation, as he vowed to provide stability amid the war in Ukraine.
The country of about seven million will elect a president and members of the 250-seat parliament, and vote in several municipal contests.
The polls officially closed at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) local time and unofficial results are due later in the evening.
The latest polls indicate that Vucic’s (center-right) Serbian Progressive Party maintains control of parliament, while the president is preparing to win a second term.
“Personally, I see stable progress and I voted according to this view,” Milovan Krstic, a 52-year-old civil servant, told AFP after casting his vote in Belgrade.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over a competition that observers earlier predicted would focus on environmental issues, corruption and rights.
Vucic has skillfully used the resurgence of war in Europe combined with the coronavirus pandemic to his advantage, promising voters continued stability amid uncertain headwinds.
“We expect a massive victory. This is what we have worked for in the past four or five years, and we believe we will continue the great efforts and develop this country,” the president said after casting his vote early Sunday morning.
Serbian opposition leader Zdravko Bonos said he hoped the competition would offer a path to “serious change” in the country.
“I hope for a bright future,” Bonos said. “The elections are the right way to change the situation. I hope that the citizens of Serbia will seize the opportunity today.”
In the capital, Belgrade, the election was briefly marred by scuffles between parliamentary candidate Paveli Grubowic and supporters of Vucic’s English party, along with sporadic reports of small skirmishes and voter intimidation.
The country’s election commission projected voter turnout to be around 60 percent, roughly 10 points from the last general election in 2020.
Serbs from the former separatist province of Kosovo also took part in the competition and boarded about 40 buses heading north to vote, after authorities in Pristina refused to allow polling stations on their territory.
A decade in power: Just a few months ago, the opposition seemed to have gained momentum.
In January, Vucic called off a controversial lithium-mine project after mass protests that saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets.
The move was a rare defeat for Vucic, who has rotated a range of positions, including prime minister, president and deputy prime minister along with the job of defense minister during his decade in power.
Polls predict he will win again on Sunday while the opposition hopes a strong voter turnout will lead to a run-off.
However, analysts say the opposition has little chance of ousting Vucic or devouring his parliamentary coalition, which holds the lion’s share of the seats.
The president has also carefully managed the country’s response to the war in Ukraine by formally denouncing Russia at the United Nations, but has refrained from imposing sanctions on Moscow at home, where many Serbs hold a favorable view of the Kremlin.
The opposition, in turn, has largely refrained from attacking Vucic’s position on the conflict, fearing that any call for tougher action against Russia would backfire at the polls.
Vucic also went to the elections with a large number of other advantages.
After a decade at the helm, he increasingly tightened his grip on the various levers of power, including de facto control of much of the media and government services.
In the months leading up to the campaign, the president put out a raft of offers of financial assistance to select groups, leading critics to say he was trying to “buy” votes before the contest.
(AFP)
