Voting Begins in Serbian Parliamentary Elections

The snap elections, announced last month, will determine a new government for Serbia’s 250-seat parliament, as well as elect local councils in most municipalities, Al Jazeera reported.

President Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SPS), ahead by double-digits in the latest opinion polls, is widely expected to retain its rule in parliament.

However, the party faces challenging municipal races in the capital, Belgrade, particularly from a loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the “Serbia against Violence” banner.

While Vucic is not on the ballot, the contest is largely seen as a referendum on his government and rule.

Vucic and his SPS party have been rattled this year by antigovernment protests that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets and led to the formation of the “Serbia Against Violence” alliance challenging his party’s rule.

The demonstrations were first sparked by back-to-back mass shootings in May that killed 18 people, including nine children.

But they quickly morphed into broader antigovernment rallies, with critics expressing anger over rising inflation and perceived government corruption.

Vucic has repeatedly dismissed his critics and the protests as a foreign plot, warning that Serbia would be directionless without his leadership.

Vucic has used his more than a decade in power to consolidate control over the levers of power, including de facto control over the media.

Serbia’s next government will have to navigate a series of challenges at home and abroad, especially as it seeks European Union membership.

As it continues accession talks, the EU is pressuring Serbia to normalise ties with Kosovo, its former predominantly Albanian province that declared independence in 2008, and introduce sanctions on Russia. At home, Serbia is being asked to stamp out corruption and organised crime, as well as to liberalise its economy.