Serbian authorities declared victory in municipal elections, including a rerun in Belgrade due to allegations of serious irregularities.
The victory claim, awaiting confirmation by the state election commission, is expected to consolidate the power of the Serbian Progressive Party, which is a candidate for European Union membership.
Serbia held local elections for members of the Belgrade City Council and local authorities in 14 other cities, 51 municipalities and 23 urban municipalities. A total of 14 coalitions participated in the Belgrade City Council elections, the same number as in Novi Sad. In the city of Nis there were 11 coalitions.
Prime Minister Miloš Vučević announced on Sunday, June 2, that the party had won the election. The victory was “pure and convincing,” he added. Opposition representatives, however, alleged serious irregularities in the voting, which the ruling party denied.
Local media reported incidents and clashes in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad. Opposition groups there alleged that the ruling party set up “unlawful” call centres during Sunday’s voting.
Belgrade’s election was a rerun following reports of widespread irregularities in December that sparked political tensions and accusations that President Aleksandar Vučić‘s ruling party rigged the vote. He announced the victory of his Serbian Progressive Party in local elections on Sunday.
In [the capital] Belgrade, our list will have 52%, which is an incredible victory, it is an incredible victory in Novi Sad.
Nothing to celebrate
Newcomer in the Serbian election race, Savo Manojlović, stated that his opposition party Move-Change achieved a good result in Belgrade. However, he added that “there is nothing to celebrate in the country with such election conditions.” Meanwhile, Dobrica Veselinović, who was a candidate for Belgrade mayor, said that “we saw violence, attacks, abuse, organised voting, crime, thugs” aimed at keeping the ruling party in power.
Opposition groups reportedly split over whether to participate in the vote or to insist on free and fair elections. This could have contributed to reducing their chances of success.
Vučić is formally pushing for his country to join the EU. However, critics argue that he is gradually moving away from pro-European democratic values while maintaining close ties with Russia and China.
Later, a report by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe found that the vote was “marred by harsh rhetoric, bias in the media, pressure on public sector employees and misuse of public resources.”
