Vučić says he won 60% of the vote after campaign that promised stability amid war in Europe and Covid pandemic
Serbian leader Aleksandar Vučić declares victory in the presidential election in Belgrade on Sunday, securing a second term.
Photograph: Darko Vojinović/AP
Agence France-Presse
Mon 4 Apr 2022
Serbia’s leader Aleksandar Vučić claimed a landslide victory in general elections on Sunday, paving the way for another term as president in the Balkan nation.
Official results were set to be announced late Monday but Vučić appeared confident in his commanding performance just hours after the polls closed, saying a run-off would not be needed.
“I am pleased that a huge number of people voted and showed the democratic nature of Serbian society,” Vučić announced during a televised victory speech, saying he secured roughly 60% of the vote.
“There was no suspense at any time,” he added.
The country of around seven million took to the polls to elect the president and members of the 250-seat parliament and cast votes in several municipal contests.
Surveys ahead of the polls predicted Vučić’s centre-right Serbian Progressive party (SNS) would maintain its control over the parliament, while the president would secure a second term.
Russians using Serbian loophole to avoid EU flights ban
“Personally, I see stable progress and I voted in accordance with this opinion,” Milovan Krstic, a 52-year-old government employee, told AFP after casting his vote in Belgrade.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cast a long shadow over the contest that observers had earlier predicted would focus on environmental issues, corruption and rights.
Vučić deftly used the return of war in Europe along with the coronavirus pandemic to his advantage, promising voters continued stability amid uncertain headwinds.
“The influence of the Ukrainian crisis on the election results was huge,” the president said in his victory speech.
Following Vučić’s speech, Serbia’s leading opposition candidate Zdravko Ponoš remained defiant.
“These elections are [the] beginning of the end of Aleksandar Vučić … we will not waste this,” said Ponoš.
Agence France-Presse
Mon 4 Apr 2022
Serbia’s leader Aleksandar Vučić claimed a landslide victory in general elections on Sunday, paving the way for another term as president in the Balkan nation.
Official results were set to be announced late Monday but Vučić appeared confident in his commanding performance just hours after the polls closed, saying a run-off would not be needed.
“I am pleased that a huge number of people voted and showed the democratic nature of Serbian society,” Vučić announced during a televised victory speech, saying he secured roughly 60% of the vote.
“There was no suspense at any time,” he added.
The country of around seven million took to the polls to elect the president and members of the 250-seat parliament and cast votes in several municipal contests.
Surveys ahead of the polls predicted Vučić’s centre-right Serbian Progressive party (SNS) would maintain its control over the parliament, while the president would secure a second term.
Russians using Serbian loophole to avoid EU flights ban
“Personally, I see stable progress and I voted in accordance with this opinion,” Milovan Krstic, a 52-year-old government employee, told AFP after casting his vote in Belgrade.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cast a long shadow over the contest that observers had earlier predicted would focus on environmental issues, corruption and rights.
Vučić deftly used the return of war in Europe along with the coronavirus pandemic to his advantage, promising voters continued stability amid uncertain headwinds.
“The influence of the Ukrainian crisis on the election results was huge,” the president said in his victory speech.
Following Vučić’s speech, Serbia’s leading opposition candidate Zdravko Ponoš remained defiant.
“These elections are [the] beginning of the end of Aleksandar Vučić … we will not waste this,” said Ponoš.
Zdravko Ponoš, Serbia’s leading opposition candidate.
Photograph: Zorana Jevtić/Reuters
In the capital Belgrade, the elections were briefly marred by scuffles between parliamentary candidate Pavle Grbović and supporters of Vučić’s SNS, along with scattered reports of small skirmishes and voter intimidation.
During his victory speech later, Vučić dismissed any allegations of foul play.
The country’s election commission predicted voter turnout would probably hover about 60%, nearly a 10-point jump from the last general elections in 2020.
Serbs from the former breakaway province of Kosovo also participated in the contest and boarded about 40 buses headed north to vote, after authorities in Pristina refused to allow polling stations on its soil.
Decade in power
Only a few months before the polls, the opposition seemed to have gained momentum.
In January, Vučić axed a controversial lithium mine project following mass protests that saw tens of thousands take to the streets.
The move was a rare defeat for Vučić, who has rotated through a range of positions, including prime minister, president and deputy premier along with a stint as the defence chief during a decade in power.
During the run-up to the elections, surveys predicted Vučić would win again on Sunday even as the opposition had hoped a high turnout could force a run-off.
Analysts, however, said the opposition had little chance of dethroning Vučić or eating away at his commanding parliamentary coalition, which holds a lion’s share of the seats.
The president has also carefully managed the country’s response to the war in Ukraine by officially condemning Russia at the United Nations but stopping short of sanctioning Moscow at home, where many Serbs hold a favourable view of the Kremlin.
The opposition in turn has largely refrained from attacking Vučić’s position on the conflict, fearing any call for harsher measures against Russia would backfire at the ballot box.
Vučić also headed into elections with a plethora of other advantages.
After a decade at the helm, he has increasingly tightened his grip over 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 rolled out a range of financial aid offers to select groups, prompting critics to say he was trying to “buy” votes before the contest.
Only a few months before the polls, the opposition seemed to have gained momentum.
In January, Vučić axed a controversial lithium mine project following mass protests that saw tens of thousands take to the streets.
The move was a rare defeat for Vučić, who has rotated through a range of positions, including prime minister, president and deputy premier along with a stint as the defence chief during a decade in power.
During the run-up to the elections, surveys predicted Vučić would win again on Sunday even as the opposition had hoped a high turnout could force a run-off.
Analysts, however, said the opposition had little chance of dethroning Vučić or eating away at his commanding parliamentary coalition, which holds a lion’s share of the seats.
The president has also carefully managed the country’s response to the war in Ukraine by officially condemning Russia at the United Nations but stopping short of sanctioning Moscow at home, where many Serbs hold a favourable view of the Kremlin.
The opposition in turn has largely refrained from attacking Vučić’s position on the conflict, fearing any call for harsher measures against Russia would backfire at the ballot box.
Vučić also headed into elections with a plethora of other advantages.
After a decade at the helm, he has increasingly tightened his grip over 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 rolled out a range of financial aid offers to select groups, prompting critics to say he was trying to “buy” votes before the contest.
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