Serbia
Vucic’s party wins election – opposition suspects fraud
According to election researchers, President Aleksandar Vucic’s party has won the parliamentary election in Serbia. photo
© Darko Vojinovic/AP
The strong man in Belgrade can breathe a sigh of relief for now: the people have once again placed their trust in President Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling party. But there are ugly accusations hanging in the air.
Vucic called the election just 17 months after the most recent parliamentary election. Although the president himself determines almost everything in the country, he had become nervous: after two shooting rampages in May that left 18 dead, a spontaneous protest movement had formed calling for an end to his rule. The result of the parliamentary election appears to be consolidating his position in power.
Doubts about the correctness of the choice
According to the information, the liberal opposition alliance “Serbia Against Violence”, which was formed after the shootings, became the second strongest force with 23 percent of the vote and 64 to 65 seats. Politicians from the alliance complained about around 450 violations of the electoral regulations. They claimed on election night that the SNS had committed massive fraud with the help of state authorities, particularly in the capital Belgrade, where hard-fought local elections were taking place at the same time.
“According to our estimates, 40,000 identity cards were issued in Belgrade to people who do not live here,” said opposition leader Miroslav Aleksic. Media reported on buses that brought people from the Serbian part of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Belgrade Arena, where they are said to have taken part in the election. The opposition announced a protest in front of Belgrade City Hall on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, a stalemate is emerging in the Belgrade city assembly, which elects the mayor. Neither the SNS, as the relatively strongest force, nor the opposition are likely to have a majority. Election research center CRTA said on Monday that “due to voter migration in Belgrade and other irregularities, the results do not reflect the will of voters.”
Critics see abuse of power
Formally, Vucic only has protocol-related powers as president. However, he has been determining the country’s fortunes in varying roles since 2012. Critics accuse him of an authoritarian style of government. According to these voices, he abuses the government apparatus, police and secret services in order to economically ruin political competitors and defame them in public. The tabloid media he controls stirs up hatred and aggression against political competitors and critics. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who has been in office since 2017 and is looking forward to another term, is loyal to him.
Serbia has been negotiating to join the EU since 2014. Since the leadership under Vucic is not pursuing any real reforms, the negotiations are proceeding slowly. At the same time, the Serb is pursuing a seesaw policy between the West on the one hand and Russia and China on the other. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, Serbia was the only EU candidate country not to join the Western sanctions against Russia.
Congratulations from Russia and Hungary
Moscow immediately congratulated the election winner. “We welcome such a success for Mr. Vucic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban also congratulated Vucic, whom he meets again and again for discussions, on the X platform, formerly Twitter. Although Hungary is a member of the EU, it has to accept a partial freeze on the EU aid to which it is entitled due to corruption and a lack of the rule of law.