(CN) — Parliamentary and local elections on Sunday in Serbia gave the ruling party of President Aleksandar Vučić a sweeping victory, though opposition parties called for protests after denouncing the ballot as neither fair nor free.
Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party was set to hold an absolute majority in Parliament after winning 46.8% of the vote, according to preliminary results. This was 2.5% higher than it received in 2022 elections. It will hold 128 out of 250 seats in the National Assembly, eight more than before.
The main opposition, a pro-European Union coalition known as Serbia Against Violence, took in about 23.5% of the vote. This coalition formed in the wake of two mass shootings in May that rocked Serbia and led to large-scale protests.
After Sunday’s elections, opposition leaders called on Serbs to take to the streets and protest against what they said were widespread election irregularities, especially in the capital, Belgrade, where there were claims that tens of thousands of nonresidents were bussed in from a Serb enclave in Bosnia and allowed to vote. Allegations of vote buying, harassment and intimidation also cast doubt on the ballot.
Election monitors with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the ruling party received “systematic advantages,” in large part due to its control of state media. They said they were looking into the allegations of election fraud.
In Belgrade, the Serbian Progressive Party looked set to win the local elections with 38.7% of the vote while Serbia Against Violence trailed at 34.7%. Opposition forces refused to recognize the election results in the capital.
With no elections scheduled until 2027, Vučić’s hold on power is set to be strengthened, deepening concerns over the country’s authoritarian drift and tense relations with Kosovo.
Vučić is praised by supporters as a pragmatic politician who’s helped modernize his country while succeeding in striking a balance between rival superpowers vying for influence over Serbia, a large and pivotal Balkan nation.
Since 2014, Serbia has been on the path toward membership in the European Union, but its candidacy hinges on it recognizing Kosovo as an independent state. Vučić, a Serb nationalist, has refused to do so, though he has signaled a desire to normalize relations with Pristina.
Vučić is viewed with deep skepticism by Brussels and Washington for maintaining close relations with Russia, a traditional ally, and welcoming Chinese investment. Serbia has turned into a crucial gateway to Europe for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global investment scheme. In October, Serbia signed a free-trade pact with Beijing.
With its EU membership offer, Brussels hopes to pry Serbia away from Russia and bring it into the Western fold.
“Overall, the election result signals the continued political dominance of Vučić and his party, which will now have a strengthened mandate to implement its policy agenda,” said Andrius Tursa, a Balkan expert at the London-based political risk firm Teneo, in a briefing note.
“This suggests a balanced fiscal approach, a multi-dimensional foreign policy, openness to foreign investment, and attempts to spur economic growth via big-ticket infrastructure projects,” Tursa said.
The strong mandate also “provides some political space for unpopular compromises on issues like Kosovo or lithium mining,” Tursa said.
Vučić is facing a lot of pressure from Brussels and Washington to resolve the conflict over Kosovo, but he may be inclined to not make any compromises soon with European Parliament and U.S. elections scheduled for June and November next year, Tursa said. Wins by right-wing nationalists in European elections and former U.S. President Donald Trump would give Vučić hope of getting a better deal over Kosovo, Tursa said.
As for lithium mining, Serbia halted plans to start excavating massive lithium deposits at the Jadar mine in the western Mačva District. Public opposition stopped the Jadar project, but there are signs that Vučić may want to revive it.
Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.