Serbia launches snap parliamentary elections: Vucic vs student movement

Voting begins and logistics

Snap parliamentary elections began in Serbia on Sunday. The event is viewed as a confrontation between the country's former President, Aleksandar Vucic, and the student movement, which has led protests against him for nearly two years.

Polling stations are open to citizens from 7:00 to 20:00. Approximately 6.5 million voters are eligible to vote, and the voting process is organised across more than 8,000 polling stations. Slightly more than 100,000 voters are registered to vote abroad.

In Belgrade and Novi Sad, queues at polling stations began to form before the official start of voting at 7:00 in the morning.

Main participants in the electoral race

Eighteen electoral lists are participating in the electoral process. However, in practice, the elections have turned into a contest between two main forces: the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party, led by Vucic (who was nominated as a candidate for Prime Minister), and the "Student List", which enjoys support from young people.

On the eve of the vote, the main opponents showed very close results, making these elections the most unpredictable in recent years. According to a poll by Ipsos, published on Thursday, Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party led with 47% voter support, while the student movement garnered 40%. However, other sociological studies recorded the "Student List" as the leader.

High voter turnout is expected at the polling stations. Most minor parties are unlikely to overcome the 3% threshold for entry into parliament.