Serbs vote Sunday in elections where populist President Aleksandar Vucic expects to extend a decade of rule by posing as the guarantor of stability, in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.
The voters designate their head of state, their 250 deputies as well as several municipal councils, including Belgrade.
According to the latest polls, the Serbian Progress Party (SNS, center-right) of Aleksandar Vucic should confirm its hold on parliament, while the president himself is in pole position for a second term.
“Personally, I see stable progress and I voted in accordance with this opinion,” Milovan Krstic, 52, a government worker, told AFP.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia at the end of February changed the course of the campaign which should have focused on the environment, corruption and rights in this Balkan country candidate for the European Union.
But Aleksandar Vucic, used to playing rival influences from East and West, seized the war to his advantage. In a country suffering as elsewhere from the coronavirus pandemic, he blows away fears of instability and presents himself as the only captain capable of helming the ship in stormy weather. He campaigned under the slogan “Peace. Stability. Vucic”.
“We hope for a huge victory,” he said, slipping his ballot into the ballot box. “We have worked for this in recent years and we will continue with our efforts and the development of the country”.
Incidents, according to NGOs
NGOs such as the CRTA, which monitors the ballot, have reported incidents and violence.
Pavle Grbovic, leader of a center-left opposition party, claimed he was attacked while trying to prevent fraudulent votes near SNS offices in Belgrade.
Only a few months ago, the opposition seemed to have made a breakthrough in the country of less than seven million inhabitants.
In January, Aleksandar Vucic canceled a controversial lithium mine project that had mobilized tens of thousands of protesters, a reversal rarely seen during his decade at the helm, as deputy prime minister, prime minister and then president.
The latest polls predict that the head of state, accused of authoritarianism by his critics, will cross the 50% mark on Sunday, but the opposition nevertheless hopes that a high turnout will trigger a second round.
The CRTA reported a turnout of 42% at 2:00 p.m. GMT, up seven points from the 2020 legislative elections.
Serbs from Kosovo, the former southern province never recognized by Belgrade, boarded 40 buses to take part in the elections in neighboring Serbia, Pristina having refused to organize the electoral operations on its soil.
Ukrainian ridge line
According to opinion polls, Aleksandar Vucic’s main rival is retired general Zdravko Ponos, a surprise candidate put forward by the pro-European opposition camp.
“I believe in a bright future, and elections are the right way to change the situation,” he said, voting.
But for analysts, the opposition has little chance of dethroning the president or upsetting the composition of the outgoing parliament, acquired almost entirely by a pro-Vucic coalition.
The government has moved cautiously to manage the crisis in Ukraine by officially condemning Russia at the UN while refraining from any sanctions against Moscow when many Serbs support the Kremlin war.
Some opposition parties share these pro-Russian views. The others dare not speak out for fear of displeasing pro-Moscow voters.
Aleksandar Vucic is armed with other advantages. During his long reign, he tightened his grip on all levels of power, including de facto control of institutions and almost all of the media.
In the months leading up to the campaign, the president also handed out financial aid, making his critics say he was looking to “buy” votes.
Polling stations close at 6:00 p.m. GMT. Unofficial results are expected in the evening.