Serbian voters went to the polls on Sunday to cast their ballots in early parliamentary elections, which began at 7:00 a.m. local time and will continue until 8:00 p.m. across 8,392 voting centers inside and outside the country.
According to data from the Serbian state electoral commission, 6,450,523 voters are eligible to participate in the elections, which feature 18 electoral lists, nine of which are running as national minority lists.
Leading List and Prime Ministerial Candidate
The leading list is "Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia," backed by the Serbian Progressive Party, which has been in power since 2012, with Vucic as its candidate for prime minister. The second-place list is "Ivica Dacic - The Stability Factor," led by the Serbian Socialist Party.
Other lists participating in the elections include "Students List – Students Win," which enjoys student support; "European Serbia: Marinko Ticic, Zdravko Ponoš"; and "The Genuine Right – Dr. Milos Jovanovic – New Serbian Democratic Party – Monarchists."
Student Protests and Their Impact on the Electoral Race
Opinion polls indicate that the electoral competition is primarily between the "United Serbia" list and the "Students List – Students Win," with recent polls showing similar support levels for both.
The elections are taking place amid ongoing student protests that have lasted for about two years, sparked by the collapse of a concrete canopy at a train station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people.
The protests, initially demanding accountability for those responsible for the incident, greater transparency, and early elections, have evolved into a nationwide movement. The current elections mark the first national vote held since these protests began.
Vucic signed a decree dissolving parliament and launching the early election process last September, shortly before resigning from his position as president.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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