Vucic Wants Opposition to Boycott Serbia’s Elections

Elections could also further stimulate the discontent of a large number of citizens who have been holding weekend protests since December 8 last year against Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS.

These started in Belgrade after an opposition politician, Borko Stefanovic, was attacked at a rally in Krusevac. They have since spread to over 50 towns and cities. One of the reasons for their discontent is precisely elections and electoral conditions.

For years now, elections in Serbia, from local to parliamentary and presidential ones, have been far from free and democratic.

Following numerous recorded irregularities in the local elections in the municipality of Lucani on December 16 last year, the Alliance for Serbia decided to boycott all further elections until conditions changed.

The SZS leaders hope that talk of a boycott will force Vucic to level the playing field. Zoran Lutovac, president of the Democratic Party, one of the members of the SZS, says the aim is not to boycott elections but to secure free and fair polls.

Last Saturday protesters ended their walk in front of the Serbian National Assembly with torches and Freedom=Truth+Justice banner. Photo: BIRN

Vucic's announcement of special elections shows that he and his associates are unruffled by such threats. They are ignoring the whole story about election conditions, and so telling their voters that everything is fine.

When talking about the opposition and elections, Vucic uses belittling language, promising elections "whenever you want them," or saying: "You'll never beat me."

Instead of election conditions, he diverts the discussion to when elections will be held. Early elections are, in fact, Vucic's favorite toy, because, as President, he...