Serbia to hold partial election re-run after protests

Serbia announced Wednesday (20 December) that it will re-run its recent election in certain areas, according to state media, just days after nationwide voting triggered protests and international condemnation over alleged fraud.

The parliamentary election will be repeated on 30 December at 30 polling stations — out of over 8,000 voting places — said a statement published by state-run broadcaster RTS.

The announcement follows two days of protests that saw thousands rally in front of Serbia’s election commission following the weekend’s polls.

President Aleksandar Vučić claims his party secured a commanding victory in parliamentary and local elections.

Criticism of the elections mounted after a team of international observers — including representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) — denounced a string of “irregularities”, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”.

Germany later labelled the reported allegations “unacceptable” for a country hoping to join the European Union, while the United States called on Belgrade to address the “concerns” of the election monitors.

Germany: Serbia vote fraud ‘unacceptable’ for a candidate to join the EU

A team of international observers on Monday (18 December) slammed Serbian elections over a string of “irregularities”, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”, after the opposition accused the ruling party of committing voter fraud.

The EU joined in, saying Serbia’s “electoral process requires tangible improvement and further reform”.

Even though Vučić was not personally on the ballot, the contest was largely seen as a referendum on his government.

Vučić’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) earned roughly 46% of votes in the parliamentary elections, while the leading opposition coalition secured 23.5%, according to official results.

The SNS also said it won municipal elections in the capital Belgrade, where the party faced their stiffest challenge from a loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) banner.

The SPN movement was formed in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings earlier this year, which spurred hundreds of thousands to take to the streets in rallies that morphed into anti-government protests over several months.

Opposition groups have cast doubts over the validity of the contest in the wake of accusations that the government allowed unregistered voters from neighbouring Bosnia to cast ballots illegally in the capital.

Despite the torrent of criticism, Vučić was defiant in a post published on social media on Wednesday.

“We will defend the electoral will of the people and there is no doubt about that,” the president said in a message addressed to Bosnian Serbs who voted in the polls.

“I also want to tell you not to worry. Many from abroad would like to impose their solutions [on us] in order to make Serbia a banana republic,” he added.

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