BELGRADE – The 2023 parliamentary election is the fourth early election triggered by Aleksandar Vučić, even though none of those elections was preceded by the collapse of the ruling majority. Serbia is a unique case in Europe in this regard, writes political scientist Vujo Ilić.
In an article for Peščanik, Ilić points out that, since 2014, Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has enjoyed the support of the majority of the voters and its majority in the parliament has never been in question. There has also been no major shift in the policy direction which would require additional legitimisation.
“In Serbia, a specific way of manipulation of electoral conditions has been developed, in which the ruling majority decides to shorten the term of a parliament and strategically call elections when (and where) it suits it. This is especially illustrative these days, when, together with the parliament which was dissolved after only about a year since it was constituted, 66 local assemblies were also dissolved completely arbitrarily”, Ilić wrote.
He explains that there are two reasons for this phenomenon. First, the advantage enjoyed by the ruling coalition through uneven media representation, abuse of public resources and clientelism has reduced the risk of early elections. Second, calling early elections means that Vučić does not need to wait for legal deadlines, when the advantages of the ruling majority might not exist due to economic or political circumstances.
Ilić also notes that calling early elections enables Vučić to slow some political processes down, including the dialogue with Pristina, as well as to shift the blame for the lack of progress on some internal issues. It is also used to wear opposition and its voters down and reduce their motivation.
“Early elections in Serbia are a reflection of the imbalance between an almost unlimited power (Vučić) has in the country and the constant anxiousness from what he cannot control, and what usually endangers the government externally”, Ilić concludes.
Florian Bieber, Professor at the University of Graz, also commented on the propensity of the ruling party to call early elections in Serbia, pointing out that, since Vučić came to power only one parliament served out its full term.
“Frequent earlier elections are a deliberate strategy to undermine parliament and consolidation of opposition parties. While these elections might be showing a further weakening of Vučić’s grip on power, it will be hard to beat his SNS which controls media, state and all institutions”, Bieber wrote.
Entrance to the National Assembly of Serbia
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
