Serbians have begun voting in parliamentary and local elections that will test the strength of the country’s governing party amid unrest over high inflation, corruption, and gun violence.
The snap elections, announced last month, will determine a new government for Serbia’s 250-seat parliament, as well as elect local councils in most municipalities.
President Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SPS), ahead by double-digits in the latest opinion polls, is widely expected to retain its rule in parliament.
However, the party faces challenging municipal races in the capital, Belgrade, particularly from a loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the “Serbia Against Violence” banner.
While Vucic is not on the ballot, the contest is largely seen as a referendum on his government and rule.
Vucic and his SPS party have been rattled this year by antigovernment protests that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets and led to the formation of the “Serbia Against Violence” alliance challenging his party’s rule.
The demonstrations were first sparked by back-to-back mass shootings in May that killed 18 people, including nine children.
But they quickly morphed into broader antigovernment rallies, with critics expressing anger over rising inflation and perceived government corruption.
Vucic has repeatedly dismissed his critics and the protests as a foreign plot, warning that Serbia would be directionless without his leadership.
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