Voting has begun in early parliamentary elections in Serbia.
This was reported by Reuters.
The vote is seen as an attempt by President Aleksandar Vucic and the populist Serbian Progressive Party, which he led from 2012 to 2023, to secure another four-year term after two mass shootings earlier this year rocked their popularity.
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A total of 18 parties and blocs are fighting for the support of a 6.5 million electorate and 250 seats in parliament. The threshold for entering parliament is 3% of the votes. Polling stations opened at 7 am and will close at 8 pm.
The state election commission is expected to announce full results in the coming days.
A recent pre-election poll showed that Vučić’s party is in the lead with 39.8% of the vote. At the same time, this is not enough to create a mono-majority. In second place is the block “Serbia against violence” from 25.6%.
Two mass shootings in May that killed 18 people, including nine elementary school students, sparked protests that shook the decade-long power of Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party. Disagreement was reinforced by rising inflation, which stood at 8% in November.
Opposition parties and human rights activists also accuse Vucic and the SPP of bribing voters, suppressing media freedom, violence against opponents, corruption and links to organized crime. Vučić and his allies deny these accusations.
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Previously, the BBC told why Serbia did not extradite ex-SBU general Naumov to Ukraine.
