Progressive opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence (SPN) said on Monday that it does not recognize the results following Belgrade’s municipal elections held on the preceding Sunday and that protests were planned in the capital later that afternoon. The objection follows remarks by the country’s president, nationalist Aleksandar Vucic, who announced that his Progressive Party (SNS) had secured victory in both parliamentary and municipal contests, according to preliminary data released by the party and later corroborated by independent centers.
SPN argues that as many as 40,000 non-residents were brought into Belgrade by bus to vote for the SNS. Under Serbian law, voting is restricted to a person’s place of residence, which SPN says was violated in this case.
For this reason, the opposition called for the municipal elections to be declared invalid and for a new vote to be held as soon as possible. They also urged a protest in front of the city hall in Belgrade later in the afternoon, planning a march to the headquarters of the Election Commission from that location.
Belgrade, along with 64 other cities, participated in national elections for parliament, the Assembly of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, and municipal elections in 65 cities, with about 1.6 million voters taking part out of approximately 6.5 million eligible voters countrywide.
Irregularities reported nationwide
Belgrade’s city hall was a focal point for opposition demonstrations as crowds gathered to express concerns about the electoral process. The protests come after a period marked by mass shootings in Belgrade and a nearby town, which had intensified political tensions and sparked a broader crisis. Official estimates suggested the SNS won 48 of the 110 council seats in Belgrade’s municipal assembly, while SPN increased its share to 43 seats.
Observers from the CRTA watchdog network described the campaign as marked by “pressure on voters” and incidents of both physical and verbal intimidation. On election day, CRTA reported an attack on observers and documented cases of vote-buying in Odžaci, a northern municipality. Reports also noted groups of people brought to vote after leaving schools. Cesid, another electoral watchdog, highlighted dozens of irregularities across the country.