Serbian government sets up snap vote with call to dissolve parliament

Upcoming election viewed as bid to tighten Vucic’s rule after months of mass street protests.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic [File: Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

Serbia’s government has proposed the dissolution of parliament, paving the way for early elections.

‌Prime Minister Djuro Macut announced the call in Belgrade on Monday. The move to a snap election is seen as a bid to tighten the rule of President Aleksandar Vucic after nearly two years of anti-government unrest.

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list 2 of 4 Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade honour Ratko Mladic with tifo

list 3 of 4 Protesters in Serbia doubt Vucic resignation will bring change

list 4 of 4 Serbia holds funeral for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic

Parliamentary elections were not due until December next year, but Vucic on Monday announced plans to hold a vote in late October, with speculation rife that he will seek to move into the role of prime minister.

The early election will test how secure a grip on Serbian politics Vucic still enjoys. The veteran authoritarian leader has run the country as president or prime minister for 12 ⁠years.

However, massive and persistent anticorruption demonstrations , following the killing of 16 people when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in 2024, have presented him with his sternest challenge yet.

The student-led protest movement has long demanded early elections.

“If we want to mitigate tensions in society there is no better way than to ask people,” Macut said as he announced the dissolution call.

“Serbia has faced protests, blockades, deep divisions, problems in education and heavy pressure on institutions,” he told ministers. “For some time, parts of the public have been calling for early parliamentary elections,” adding that “a responsible government never ignores such demands.”

Vucic is expected to set ⁠a date for elections in the coming days. According to the constitution, between 45 and 60 days must be allowed for campaigning.

The president has already said that the vote will be held on either October 18 or ⁠25.

The election would allow Vucic, whose Serbian ⁠Progressive Party nominated on Saturday to run for prime minister, to try to reassert his authority.

The ‌opposition and demonstrators accuse Vucic and his allies of violence against political opponents, rampant corruption, ties with organised crime and ‌stifling ‌media freedoms. The president and his circle have denied any wrongdoing.

Vucic’s opponents have condemned the fact that Serbia’s bid to join the European Union has stalled. The president has instead worked on maintaining close ties with Russia and China.

Vucic has faced additional EU pressure in the past week over public homage to war criminal Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander, who was buried as a hero in Serbia on Monday despite his United Nations court conviction.

即将到来的选举被视为在经历了数月的街头大规模抗议之后，武契奇试图巩固其统治的举措。

塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武契奇 [图片：Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

塞尔维亚政府提议解散议会，为提前举行大选铺平道路。

周一，总理久罗·马库特在贝尔格莱德宣布了提前举行大选的呼吁。此举被视为在近两年的反政府动乱之后，加强总统亚历山大·武契奇统治的举措。

列表 1/4 瓦列沃学生抗议活动一年后：塞尔维亚正处于十字路口

塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德红星队用巨型横幅致敬拉特科·姆拉迪奇（Ratko Mladic），共4条记录，此为第2条。

塞尔维亚抗议者质疑武契奇辞职能否带来改变（共4人，此为第3人）

塞尔维亚为被判有罪的战犯拉特科·姆拉迪奇举行葬礼（共4条，此为第4条）

议会选举原定于明年 12 月举行，但武契奇周一宣布计划在 10 月下旬举行投票，外界纷纷猜测他将寻求担任总理一职。

提前举行的大选将检验武契奇对塞尔维亚政坛的掌控力究竟有多强。这位资深的威权领导人已担任塞尔维亚总统或总理长达12年。

然而，2024 年火车站混凝土顶棚倒塌造成 16 人死亡后，大规模且持续不断的反腐败示威活动给他带来了迄今为止最严峻的挑战。

学生领导的抗议运动长期以来一直要求提前举行选举。

“如果我们想缓解社会紧张局势，最好的办法莫过于向人民征求意见，”马库特在宣布解散呼吁时说道。

“塞尔维亚面临着抗议、封锁、严重分裂、教育问题以及各机构承受的巨大压力，”他告诉部长们。“一段时间以来，部分民众一直呼吁提前举行议会选举，”他补充说，“一个负责任的政府绝不会忽视这样的诉求。”

预计武契奇将在未来几天内确定选举日期。根据宪法规定，竞选活动必须有45至60天的时间。

总统已经表示，投票将在10月18日或25日举行。

此次选举将使武契奇有机会重新确立自己的权威，他的塞尔维亚进步党已于周六提名他为总理候选人。

反对派和示威者指责武契奇及其盟友对政治对手使用暴力、腐败猖獗、与有组织犯罪勾结以及压制媒体自由。总统及其圈子否认有任何不当行为。

武契奇的反对者谴责塞尔维亚加入欧盟的努力陷入停滞。而这位总统则致力于维持与俄罗斯和中国的密切关系。

过去一周，武契奇因公开悼念战争罪犯拉特科·姆拉迪奇（前波斯尼亚塞族军队指挥官）而面临欧盟的额外压力。尽管联合国法庭已判处姆拉迪奇有罪，但他周一仍被作为英雄安葬在塞尔维亚。