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| - Serbia went to the polls Sunday in Europe's first national election since emerging from coronavirus lockdown, although few expect major surprises with the ruling party poised to dominate a scattered opposition, some of whom are boycotting the ballot. In power since 2012, the centre-right Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is led by the country's powerful president, Aleksandar Vucic, who critics accuse of budding authoritarianism. The 50-year-old is not running for parliament himself but has fronted the campaign as head of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) with the slogan: "Aleksandar Vucic -- For Our Children". The party is tipped to garner more than 50 percent of the vote, according to recent polls, thanks to a splintered opposition and the government's apparent successes in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. While a slate of small opposition parties are in the race, the main camp is boycotting the election to decry democratic backsliding under Vucic. Yet despite their stay-at-home campaign, turnout halfway through the day was only marginally behind 2016 election figures at nearly 23 percent. "Boycotting is not productive when the country is adrift," said Jelena Djikanovic, a 39-year-old casting her ballot in Belgrade. "I think it is not acceptable to surrender without a fight". Casting his own vote in the capital, Vucic said he was satisfied with the "democratic atmosphere" and that he expected a "good turnout." "I hope for a success, I hope for a good result," he added. Vucic, who was previously prime minister twice, is riding a fresh wave of popularity for keeping Serbia's coronavirus situation under control, with some 260 deaths in a country of seven million. Although the post of president is meant to be ceremonial, he remains Serbia's top decision-maker, leading the nation through the health crisis with frequent TV appearances. After a strict lockdown period, Serbia bolted out of confinement in early May -- even allowing some 16,000 to gather at a recent football match. Infections are now rising again but the ballot, already delayed once by the virus in April, is going ahead with masks and gloves made available at polling stations. With campaign rallies mostly cancelled over virus concerns, Vucic held several virtual gatherings in which he addressed hundreds of computer screens bearing faces of supporters. He touted infrastructure projects and made promises such as raising salaries to 900 euros a month by 2025 -- nearly double the current 500-euro average. Dusan Spasojevic, a political science professor at Belgrade University, says Vucic has been using the same playbook as other populists on the continent. "He found a way to speak on the behalf of people who were poor, less educated, lived in those places where you don't have many opportunities in your life... he gave them hope." The ruling party also benefits from a media landscape populated with pro-government outlets, plus a large voting base of public sector employees and their relatives, according to analysts. Vucic's increasingly "authoritarian" grip, particularly over the media and state institutions, means "Serbia does not meet minimal conditions for elective democracy", says Spasojevic. "I use the term competitive autocracy -- when there is a competition but participants are not equal," he said. Some outside observers agree, with US-based Freedom House recently branding the country a "hybrid regime" instead of a democracy because of Vucic's strongman tactics. But the Serb leader can still count on support from key allies on the international stage. In addition to close ties with Russia and China, he has backing from some in the West, where he is seen as capable of resolving Serbia's decades-long territorial dispute with former province Kosovo. That frozen conflict currently stands in the way of Serbia's efforts to join the European Union. Some expect fresh momentum after the elections, with Vucic warning Sunday of "difficult days and weeks ahead of us, in particularly related to Kosovo." At the heart of the dispute is Belgrade's rejection of the 2008 independence Kosovo, home to an ethnic Albanian majority, declared after their bloody 1990s war. Some 6.5 million people, including the diaspora, are eligible to vote, with initial results expected a few hours after polls close at 1800 GMT. mat-ks-ssm/bmm
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