Serbian President Dissolves Parliament, Calls Snap Vote

Facts

• Serbian Pres. Aleksandar Vučić dissolved parliament on Wednesday, calling a snap election for Dec. 17 — the day several municipalities, including the capital Belgrade, are set to hold local elections.¹
• Serbians are now set to elect representatives to the 250-member assembly for the third time in nearly four years, though the presidency of Vučić — who secured re-election in April 2022 — will not be contested in the vote.²
• The announcement has officially triggered the pre-election campaign, which will last until midnight Dec. 14, when the campaigning blackout period begins.³
• Current opinion polls indicate that the ruling coalition would receive about 44% of votes, the opposition alliance around 38%, and pro-Russian parties at least 11% collectively.⁴
• The opposition, which organized weekly protests under the slogan Serbia Against Violence for a period of months, is expected to put forth a united list of candidates under the same banner.⁵
• Vučić — who stepped down as the leader of his Serbian Progressive party in May but remains an influential figure — often faces accusations of autocracy, corruption, violence, and links to organized crime.⁶

Sources: ¹Euronews, ²ABC News, ³Euractiv, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Balkan Insight and ⁶The Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by RT. Accepting opposition demands for a snap election, Vučić has made the right choice to ease societal tensions, reaffirm European values, and move Serbia forward by providing a clear mandate until 2027 for whoever wins the popular vote.
• Narrative B, as provided by N1. It's difficult to believe in the fairness of this vote, given that Vučić controls the media and uses it to spread propaganda and influence voters' choices. Unlike 2012, when parties were almost equally represented, Serbia's opposition is now marginalized.

Predictions