According to preliminary results from Sunday's elections in Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić has secured a second term, according to the state electoral commission.

Vučić received 59.5% of the votes with 87.67 % of the ballots counted. The opposition candidate, former army general Zdravko Pono, received 17.5 % of votes. 

Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 43.4% of the votes in a parliamentary election, with Ponoš’s United for Victory alliance on 13.1% and the Socialist Party of Serbia, a longtime SNS coalition partner, coming in third with 11.7%.

“I am pleased that a huge number of people voted and showed the democratic nature of Serbian society,” he expressed during a victory speech. “There was no suspense at any time.”

Pre-poll surveys predicted the center-right SNS would remain in parliament and easily secure a second term.

The Ukraine war had cast a shadow over the elections as observers were sure the election would focus on environmental issues, corruption, and rights.

The Serbian President had used the Ukraine war and the pandemic as a driving force in his campaign. According to him, "The influence of the Ukrainian crisis on the election results was huge."

After Vučić’s speech, Ponoš remained defiant. “These elections are [the] beginning of the end of Aleksandar Vučić … we will not waste this,” he said.

Serbs from Kosovo took part in the race and boarded roughly 40 buses heading north to vote after Pristina refused to allow voting stations on its territory.

Vučić held a variety of posts during his decade in power, including prime minister, president, and deputy premier, as well as a defense commander. During the campaign, polls anticipated that he would win again, despite the opposition's hopes that a large turnout would force a run-off. Analysts, on the other hand, believe the opposition has little prospect of dethroning Vučić or undermining his dominant parliamentary alliance, which retains the majority of seats.

After the Serbian President voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution that condemned Putin, Serbian demonstrators called him a traitor.

Nearly hundreds of Serbians held rallies in support of Russia and its operation in Ukraine.

Read more: Pro-Russian rallies in Palestine, UK, and Serbia