Serbian President says his coalition won repeat elections

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Dec 2023 08:23
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The Republican Election Commission (REC) has initiated a repeat voting at 35 out of approximately 8,300 polling stations nationwide due to complaints about the December 17 ballot process.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared victory in the presidential election on April 4, 2022 (AP)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that his coalition, Serbia Must Not Stop, emerged victorious in the repeat parliamentary and municipal elections.

The Republican Election Commission (REC) initiated a repeat voting at 35 out of approximately 8,300 polling stations nationwide due to complaints about the December 17 ballot process.

Additionally, Belgrade's election commission organized a re-run in the municipal election at three more polling locations. The voting occurred from 7 am to 8 pm local time on Saturday, involving over 19,500 eligible voters.

"At all voting stations, absolutely all, both at the city and at the republican level … the Serbia Must Not Stop coalition won a very convincing victory," Vucic said.

Based on preliminary data, Serbia Must Not Stop secured 69.5% of the votes in the elections, with the pro-European opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence receiving only 12%, according to President Aleksandar Vucic.

He also affirmed Serbia's commitment to the European Union while maintaining strong ties with China and Russia. Vucic stated that Belgrade has no intention of imposing sanctions on Beijing and Moscow to appease external pressures.

The parliamentary and municipal elections held on December 17 led to protests by supporters of the Serbia Against Violence coalition, resulting in disruptions and clashes with authorities, including an attempt to storm the REC building in Belgrade, leading to the detention of 38 protesters and injuries to eight police officers.

In a national address, Vucic declared that the turmoil was intended to undermine the sovereignty of the Balkan nation and pledged to safeguard law and order.

Lavrov: West unhappy about Vucic's election success in Serbia

Commenting on Vucic's election success, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said as quoted by Sputnik that the Western countries are reluctant to acknowledge the results of the Serbian elections and the substantial public backing for President Aleksandar Vucic. This has led to efforts to "orchestrate an illegal power grab."

"The events in Belgrade are yet another attempt to orchestrate an illegal power grab. Apparently, not everyone in the West is ready to accept the fact that voters in Serbia expressed support for President Aleksandar Vucic and his political course in the elections," Lavrov said.

The Russian diplomat highlighted that Serbians are cognizant of the 2014 coup in Ukraine, elucidating why the protest numbers remain relatively small, with only a few hundred people participating.

"Citizens do not trust individuals who say they are against violence, but in reality behave in the opposite way: they ignore the result of the popular vote and provoke the law enforcement," Lavrov said.