The official results were due to be announced late Monday, but Vucic appeared confident of his impressive performance just hours after the polls closed, saying he would not need a run-off. “I am pleased that a huge number of people voted and showed the democratic nature of Serbian society,” Vucic said in a televised speech, securing about 60% of the vote. “There was no suspense at all times,” he added. The country of about seven million went to the polls to elect the president and members of the 250-seat parliament and voted in several municipal contests. Pre-poll polls suggest Vucic’s center-right Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will retain control of parliament while the president secures a second term. “Personally, I see steady progress and I voted in line with that opinion,” Milovan Krstic, a 52-year-old government official, told AFP after voting in Belgrade. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has cast a shadow over the controversy that observers had previously predicted would focus on environmental issues, corruption and rights. Vuτςiτς skilfully used the return of the war in Europe along with the coronavirus pandemic to his advantage, promising voters continued stability amid uncertain winds. “The impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the election results has been enormous,” the president said in his victory speech. Following Vuτςiτς’s speech, Serbia’s leading opposition candidate Zdravko Ponoš remained provocative. “This is an election [the] beginning of the end of Aleksandar Vučić… we will not waste it “, said Ponoš. Zdravko Ponos, the leading candidate of the Serbian opposition. Photo: Zorana Jevtić / Reuters In the capital Belgrade, the election was marred by brief clashes between MP candidate Pavle Grbović and Vučić’s SNS supporters, along with widespread reports of minor skirmishes and voter intimidation. During his winning speech later, Vuτςiτς denied any wrongdoing. The country’s election commission has predicted that voter turnout is likely to be around 60%, a jump of almost 10 points from the last general election in 2020. Serbs from the former breakaway province of Kosovo also took part in the contest, boarding about 40 buses heading north to vote after authorities in Pristina refused to allow polling stations on its territory.
Ten years in power
Just a few months before the polls, the opposition seemed to be gaining momentum. In January, Vuτςiτς launched a controversial lithium mine project following mass demonstrations that saw tens of thousands take to the streets. The move was a rare defeat for Vuτςi., Who has taken over a number of positions, including prime minister, president and deputy prime minister, along with a tenure as defense minister during a decade in power. In the run-up to the election, polls suggested Vucic would win again on Sunday, although the opposition hoped a high turnout could force a run-off. Analysts, however, said the opposition had little chance of dethroning Vucic or swallowing up his parliamentary coalition, which holds the lion’s share of seats. The president also carefully handled the country’s response to the war in Ukraine, formally condemning Russia to the United Nations, but did not impose sanctions on Moscow at home, where many Serbs have a positive view of the Kremlin. The opposition, for its part, has largely avoided attacking Vuτςiτς’s position on the conflict, fearing that any call for tougher measures against Russia would boomerang at the ballot box. Vuτςiτς also ran in the election with a host of other advantages. After a decade at the helm, it has tightened the various levers of power, including de facto control over much of the media and government services. In the months leading up to the campaign, the president presented a series of financial aid offers to selected groups, leading critics to say he was trying to “buy” votes before the race.
