Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic declares victory in the country's elections as the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is set to easily win the race.
Early exit polling suggests a sweeping election win for Vucic's ruling party despite his government facing accusations of major irregularities over the course of the Sunday vote. The scale of the president's victory means that he will remain a local figure in U.S. and EU diplomacy in the Western Balkans.
Serbian President Declares Victory in Snap Elections
While the Serbian president was hoping that the snap election would confirm his near total dominance of the EU candidate country, he is now set to defend himself against charges of major irregularities and voter intimidation.
These disputes over electoral manipulation will only raise fears that the president is rapidly undermining the country's democracy, media, and public institutions. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke at the headquarters of Vucic's SNS party. He said that the ruling party would be able to form a coalition with a parliamentary majority, as per Politico.
She added that the party received more than twice the support of the united opposition, Serbia Against Violence, which was formed in the aftermath of two mass shootings in May. Brnabic thanked everyone for understanding the seriousness of the moment and also expressed her gratitude to Vucic who she said led their list and allowed them to use his name.
The great hope of the opposition throughout the campaign was that it could win the mayoral race for Belgrade. In that region, the elections looked much closer but Vucic was still predicting that his SNS party would win some 38.5% against Serbia Against Violence's 35%.
The opposition coalition took a more cautious stance and cast doubt on the precision of any early result predictions. The party emphasized the prevalence of fraud allegations and the slow counting of the votes.
Allegations of Election Fraud
During his speech following the projected victory, Vucic said that it marked a major win, adding that they knew what they had achieved in the previous period and how tough the future would be. Opposition leader Miroslav Aleksic claimed that people who did not live in Belgrade were brought in buses, vans, and cars to vote as if they were citizens of the city, according to the Associated Press.
He added that roughly 40,000 identity documents were issued for individuals who do not live in the capital. Aleksic argued that they would use all available democratic means to fight against vote rigging in Belgrade and Serbia as a whole.
One hour before the polls closed, the turnout was recorded at around 55%, which was roughly the same as what was recorded during the last election that was held in 2022. That was when Vucic scored a landslide victory in the country.
Opposition parties and rights watchdogs said that the allegations against Vucic and his ruling party include bribing voters, stifling media freedom, violence against opponents, corruption, and ties with organized crime. However, the Serbian president and his allies have denied all of the accusations, said Reuters.
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