Serbia votes for parliament, municipalities in tense elections

By Stefan J. Bos  

Serbs queued for Sunday's snap elections, including in polling stations with Christmas decorations. The voting determines a new government for Serbia's 250-seat parliament and elects local councils in most municipalities.

President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SPS, was ahead by double-digits in the latest opinion polls and widely expected to retain its rule in parliament.

Yet a centrist coalition is trying to undermine the populists who have ruled the Balkan state since 2012.

The Serbia Against Violence opposition list is due to mount the biggest challenge for the city council in Belgrade, the capital.

Analysts say an opposition victory in the capital would seriously undermine Vucic's government.

Several right-wing groups, including pro-Russian parties and Socialists, allied with Vucic, are also running for control of the parliament and local councils in some 60 cities, towns, and regional authorities in the northern Vojvodina province.

Consolidating power

Vucic called Sunday's early vote only a year and a half after a previous parliamentary and presidential election, despite his party holding a comfortable majority in parliament.

Commentators claim Vucic wants to consolidate power after two back-to-back shootings triggered months of anti-government protests. He also faces public anger over high inflation and corruption.

Additionally, Vucic came under criticism over his handling of a crisis in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008, a move Belgrade does not recognize.

His supporters view Vucic as the only leader who can maintain stability and lead the country into a better future.

That future, many Serbs hope, will one day include European Union membership.

However, tensions with Kosovo and concerns over Vucic's perceived autocratic style and pro-Russia policies have undermined these prospects.