BELGRADE – Snap parliamentary elections were held in Serbia today amidst a backdrop of intense political tension, following nearly two years of widespread student-led anti-corruption protests and significant public mobilization, representing one of the most substantial challenges to the ruling administration in over a decade.
The limited polling available suggested a tight contest between the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and its main challenger, the Student List.
According to the Crta election observation mission, as much as 67.8 % of voters had cast their ballots by 7 p.m. i.e. over 12 percentage points higher than at the same time in both 2022 and 2023.
A total of 6.451.292 citizens were eligible to vote.
At the previous parliamentary election, around 3.8 million people cast their ballots, bringing turnout to approximately 59%.
Polling stations across Serbia opened at 07:00, with long queues forming across the country early in the morning. Students have urged citizens to cast their ballots as early as possible. Queues have also been reported at polling stations abroad.
According to the Crta election observation mission, the number of individual irregularities recorded was also high; photographing ballots was observed at 48 per cent of polling stations, while failures to use the UV lamp were recorded at as many as 30 per cent of polling stations. Voting without valid identification documents was observed at 8 per cent of polling stations.
Photographing ballots was most frequently recorded in Belgrade – at as many as 79 per cent of polling stations, followed by Vojvodina, at 58 per cent of polling stations.
A few hours before the closing of the polling stations, police have been deployed in central Belgrade, with gendarmerie vehicles equipped for riot control parked at the main entrance to the Presidency, next to Pionirski Park, according to N1 and Danas.
Riot police are stationed outside the Republic Electoral Commission (REC), while gendarmerie officers have also been seen near public broadcaster RTS. Crowd-control vehicles were earlier filmed passing through a police cordon at the intersection of Kneza Miloša and Kralja Milana streets, heading towards Terazije.
The pro-government tent camp in Pionirski Park, known as “Ćacilend”, is being dismantled and replaced.
Footage published by Mašina showed trucks bringing equipment into the fenced-off park, where tents were being erected with police present. Belgrade weekly Vreme reports that increasing numbers of men dressed in blackere gathering there.
Students have urged Belgrade residents on social media to avoid gathering near locations where an increased presence of police and individuals in plain clothes has been observed.
“Let us remain safe, peaceful and dignified until the end,” they said.
