The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has mentioned the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections in approximately seven months, considering the ongoing anti-government protests that have affected the nation since May.
“We’re going to have elections very soon … There will definitely be elections in the next six or seven months,” Vucic said, as seen in a video released by media outlet Danas on Sunday.
Based on reports from local media, a significant number of individuals gathered in the capital city of Belgrade on Sunday for the most recent in a sequence of weekly demonstrations against the government. These protests initially commenced in May subsequent to a tragic incident of a mass shooting at a primary school. The demonstrators are expressing their concerns that the government’s actions have encouraged the spread of hate speech and indirectly fueled violence within society, ultimately contributing to the occurrence of such shootings.
In May, Vucic decided to step down from his role as the head of the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS. Following his resignation, Defence Minister Milos Vucevic took over the position.
In April 2022, Serbia conducted an early general election, resulting in the SNS securing 42.97% of the vote, thus granting the party 121 out of 250 seats in parliament. Additionally, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), as the coalition partner, attained 11.5% of the vote, entitling them to 32 seats. Consequently, the parliament was elected for a duration of four years.
During the presidential elections, which coincided with the parliamentary vote, Vucic successfully obtained a second term in office.
