In Serbia, the opposition secures repeat municipal elections

In the Serbian capital, Belgrade, the ruling party has agreed to hold new municipal elections. This decision was made following massive opposition protests and criticism after the vote, which took place on December 17, 2023. This was stated by the acting mayor of the Serbian capital, Aleksandar Šapić, who was quoted by the Balkan service of Radio Liberty, UNN reports.

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The opposition accused the authorities of falsifying the election results in Belgrade, claiming that the official results did not reflect the real will of the voters, as no political force won a majority of votes. Protests against this decision continued in December and January.

On February 28, 2024, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in its report on the elections in Serbia noted numerous violations of democratic standards, including media bias in favor of President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party and the failure to use public funds appropriately.

Although there were no direct accusations of fraud, the acting mayor of Belgrade and deputy head of the ruling party, Aleksandar Šapić, said on March 2 that the party was "ready" for new elections and agreed to them to ensure the full legitimacy of the voting process.

The date of the new elections should be announced within the next 30 days. The opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence considers the government's agreement to hold new elections to be a major victory.

President Vucic, who does not abandon ties with Russia, is also seeking to maintain good relations with the European Union, as Serbia is a candidate for EU membership.

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