Polling stations for general elections closed in Serbia
The voting turnout has reached 50.82% by 18:00 (16 GMT) as Serbs vote for a new president, parliament, and municipal authorities today.
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic casts his ballot at a polling station in Belgrade today (Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The Republican Election Commission in Serbia said on Sunday that the polling stations for the general elections have been closed at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Some 6.5 million Serbs are choosing the country's president, a new parliament, and municipal authorities in dozens of cities, including the capital of Belgrade. Long lines formed in front of polling stations in Serbia and 77 overseas stations, while over 100,000 ethnic Serbs who live in breakaway Kosovo couldn't cast their ballots due to the Kosovo authorities banning them from voting within the territory.
19 political blocs and coalitions were registered by the Republican Election Commission; the blocs are competing for 250 seats in the Serbian National Assembly. They need to pass a 3% threshold to enter the new convocation of the parliament. Eight presidential candidates are running for the president's seat, including incumbent Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Surveys conducted ahead of the vote predicted that President Aleksandar Vucic will win another five-year term.
Vucic spoke after the vote in Belgrade, saying he expected his country to continue on the path of “stability, tranquility and peace.”
“I believe in a significant and convincing victory and I believe everyone will get what they deserve, according to how much they worked and, understandably, in accordance with the expectations of the citizens for the future,” he said.
The voting turnout reached 50.82% by 18:00 (16:00 GMT), according to today's report by the Serbian Statistical Office.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly said that no significant violations have been recorded. Russian observers also did not report any violations.
