Serbia closes polls in snap parliamentary elections amid high turnout, reports of irregularities

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Polling stations across Serbia closed at 8 pm local time on Sunday after snap parliamentary elections marked by high voter turnout and reports of voting irregularities.

Voter turnout reached 67.6% by 7 pm, according to estimates published by polling agency Ipsos and the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID).

The figure was already 8.83 percentage points higher than the final turnout of 58.77% recorded in Serbia’s previous parliamentary elections in December 2023, highlighting a significant increase in voter participation.

The latest figure is not the final turnout, which is expected to be announced after all votes have been counted.

The first preliminary results are expected before midnight.

Some 6.45 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots in the elections, with 18 electoral lists competing for seats in Serbia’s 250-member National Assembly.

Under Serbian election law, the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) must publish a consolidated report on the election results within 96 hours of receiving all summary reports from polling stations.

Electoral lists must secure at least 3% of the vote to qualify for parliamentary representation, while lists representing national minorities are exempt from the threshold.

Seats are allocated under the D’Hondt proportional representation system, which distributes parliamentary mandates according to the number of votes received by each qualifying electoral list.

The RIK is required to allocate parliamentary seats to candidates within 10 days of publishing the consolidated election results.

The newly elected National Assembly must be constituted within 30 days of the publication of final results, while a new government must be formed within 90 days of the parliament’s constitution.

The elections were monitored by numerous international and domestic observers, including missions 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 and the European Parliament.

Observers from the US, Russia’s State Duma and other national parliaments were also registered.

Serbian citizens living abroad were eligible to vote at 93 polling stations across 37 countries, with 102,147 voters registered for overseas voting.

Of the 18 electoral lists contesting the elections, nine represented national minorities.

The snap elections were called on Sept. 9 by then-President Aleksandar Vucic, who signed a decree dissolving the National Assembly following a government proposal submitted Sept. 7.

Sunday’s vote marked Serbia’s 15th parliamentary election since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1990 and its 10th snap parliamentary election.

The last parliamentary elections were held on Dec. 17, 2023.

- Ruling party faces student-backed challengers

The elections come amid months of student-led protests and a political crisis that led to President Aleksandar Vucic's resignation in September.

Vucic is seeking to return to government as prime minister through the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

The SNS, which has dominated Serbian politics since 2012, is competing under the electoral list “Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia.”

Among its challengers is the student-backed “Student List - Students Win,” which emerged from protests following the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people.

The student movement has demanded accountability for the disaster, greater transparency, and reforms to strengthen the rule of law and public institutions.

Other contenders include the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by Ivica Dacic, the pro-European European Serbia coalition, and the nationalist Authentic Right bloc.

Mustafa Talha Öztürk