Serbia Snap Election: 6.45M Voters Decide as Vucic Eyes Return
(MENAFN) Serbia’s snap parliamentary election is under way. Some 6.45 million registered voters are choosing all 250 members of the National Assembly. Polls opened Sunday at 7 am local time and close at 8 pm.
Eighteen electoral lists carrying more than 2,400 candidates are in the race, and ballots can be cast at nearly 8,400 polling stations across the Western Balkan country.
Domestic and international monitors are on the ground. They include delegations from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament.
Voting is also open to Serbians abroad: more than 102,000 are registered at 93 polling stations in 37 countries. Four Serbian municipalities have opened another 60 polling stations for voters registered in neighboring Kosovo, where some areas have large ethnic Serb populations.
Ruling party confronts student-backed challengers
The vote follows months of student-led protests and a political crisis that forced President Aleksandar Vucic to resign in September. Vucic is now angling to return to power as prime minister through the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which has dominated Serbian politics since 2012. The party is contesting the election under the banner “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia.”
Among its rivals is the student-backed “Student List – Students Win,” a slate born of the protests that erupted after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. The student movement is pressing for accountability over the disaster, greater transparency, and reforms to strengthen the rule of law and public institutions.
Also running are the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by Ivica Dacic, the pro-European European Serbia coalition and the nationalist Authentic Right bloc.
How the 250 seats are decided
Serbia fills its 250-seat legislature through proportional representation, dividing seats among lists using the D’Hondt method. Lists generally must win at least 3% of the vote to enter parliament, although those representing national minorities are exempt. A party or coalition needs a minimum of 126 seats to secure a majority and form a government.
The Republic Electoral Commission will tally and announce the overall results once polling station reports come in. Parliament must convene within 30 days of the final results being published, and a government must be in place within 90 days of parliament’s constitution.
Eighteen electoral lists carrying more than 2,400 candidates are in the race, and ballots can be cast at nearly 8,400 polling stations across the Western Balkan country.
Domestic and international monitors are on the ground. They include delegations from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament.
Voting is also open to Serbians abroad: more than 102,000 are registered at 93 polling stations in 37 countries. Four Serbian municipalities have opened another 60 polling stations for voters registered in neighboring Kosovo, where some areas have large ethnic Serb populations.
Ruling party confronts student-backed challengers
The vote follows months of student-led protests and a political crisis that forced President Aleksandar Vucic to resign in September. Vucic is now angling to return to power as prime minister through the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which has dominated Serbian politics since 2012. The party is contesting the election under the banner “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia.”
Among its rivals is the student-backed “Student List – Students Win,” a slate born of the protests that erupted after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. The student movement is pressing for accountability over the disaster, greater transparency, and reforms to strengthen the rule of law and public institutions.
Also running are the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by Ivica Dacic, the pro-European European Serbia coalition and the nationalist Authentic Right bloc.
How the 250 seats are decided
Serbia fills its 250-seat legislature through proportional representation, dividing seats among lists using the D’Hondt method. Lists generally must win at least 3% of the vote to enter parliament, although those representing national minorities are exempt. A party or coalition needs a minimum of 126 seats to secure a majority and form a government.
The Republic Electoral Commission will tally and announce the overall results once polling station reports come in. Parliament must convene within 30 days of the final results being published, and a government must be in place within 90 days of parliament’s constitution.
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