In the week from 20 to 26 November Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) released several campaign ads emphasising the party’s care for ordinary hard-working people. Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) held a rally in Belgrade, where the members were addressed by Marko Milošević, grandson of Slobodan Milošević and the third candidate on SPS’s list.
Opposition “Serbia Against Violence” coalition continued its campaign with visits to multiple cities of Serbia. Commentators, however, have pointed out that the “get out the vote” campaign ProGlas by government-critical public figures is more visible than the opposition campaign. On the other hand, nationalist opposition payed symbolic visits to Kosovo which attracted lots of reactions on social media.
The ruling parties: SNS pledges to take more care of the ordinary people
The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) held a rally in the city of Kraljevo on 24 November. The central speech, as usual, was delivered by President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, who focused on the importance of the vote on 17 December and, as he described, legitimate grievances that SNS supporters have with local party officials.
“In the next four years, the fate of Serbia will be decided. Elections are not a game… They are an occasion at which you decide the future of your parents, spouses, siblings, your children”, Vučić said, repeating a warning that the entire opposition will united against SNS if they win a majority of only one seat in the parliament.
He said that some voters told him, a day after the last year’s elections “I voted for you in presidential election, but I voted for another list (in parliamentary election), because I am angry at a local official”.
“I know that there are local officials who do not want to listen to or talk to our citizens…We have shown that we can take care of people in this country, but we must do it much better and much more”, Vučić said.
SNS also released a couple of adds this week. The most prominent one shows Vučić visiting a family in the city of Leskovac, whose members decided to stay in Serbia rather than emigrate due to investments in the city implemented during SNS’s rule. This is one of the recurring themes of the campaign of the ruling party.
Another advertisement shows Vučić’s message to, as the video depicts, ordinary hard-working people of Serbia. “True heroes are not those on the silver screen, it’s the ordinary people with a big heart. You are our strength. Thank you”, said Vučić in a recorded message.
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) held a rally in the capital of Belgrade on 26 November. The leader of the party Ivica Dačić continued to strongly emphasise the continuity of SPS with its former leader Slobodan Milošević, which is another recurring theme of the campaign. He described the 5th of October, the day of the fall of Milošević as “the worst evil in the history of Serbia” and a “fatal mistake”.
In his speech, Ivica Dačić also focused on Kosovo, saying that SPS would never give up on it. He also talked about the need for stability, which would be achieved if he were to become Prime Minister after the elections and share the responsibility of governing with Vučić.
Milošević’s grandson Marko Milošević, who is the third candidate on the ballot, also addressed the audience.
“Thank you, dear friends, for keeping the memory of my grandfather, Slobodan Milošević”, he said.
“Serbia Against Violence”: Campaign continues amid concerns over low visibility
Opposition pro-EU coalition “Serbia against Violence” continued its campaign for the parliamentary elections. During the past week, several gatherings were organised across Serbia. Commentators have pointed out that, despite expectations, the coalition is insufficiently visible to the public.
The events were dominated by expected domestic topics – fight against violence, corruption and organized crime, and economic problems. In Kruševac, five years have been marked since the attack on the vice president of the opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Borko Stefanović, which triggered the large-scale “One of the Five Million” protests. During the symbolic walk against violence, citizens were invited in as large numbers as possible to go to the polls.
On 24 November, coalition members also visited Vranje, where they talked with citizens about key economic issues. One of the opposition leaders, Dragan Đilas, emphasized that, in the event of victory in the elections, this coalition will return to pensioners the money that the state took from them through decisions on reducing pensions in 2014. Đilas’ message is one of the most frequently repeated talking points of “Serbia Against Violence” in the economic sphere.
One of the still infrequent billboards of the “Serbia Against Violence” in Belgrade.
Photo: Serbia Elects
The campaign was continued over the weekend in Kraljevo. Marinika Tepić (SSP), leader of the electoral list, said “that Serbia with them (Serbian Progressive Party) in power will not stop with violence and corruption, it will not stop with divisions and hatred; nor with the persecution of policemen…farmers and postmen because they dared to strike.”
Srđan Milivojević, member of the Democratic Party (DS), made a comparison with the results of the Serbian national football team. “23 years ago, it qualified for the European Championship and Slobodan Milošević was defeated…now we have again qualified for the European Championship and now it remains…to send him (Aleksandar Vučić) off.”
At the same time, the activities of the signatories of the “get out the vote” ProGlas initiative throughout Serbia appear to be more visible. The proclamation has been signed by over 140.000 citizens, and it was mostly initiated by pro-European and liberal intellectuals and public figures. The goal of the campaign is to encourage citizens to go to the polls and vote for change. Though they do not support any opposition party, it is assumed that “Serbia Against Violence” will be the main beneficiary of the campaign.
Kosovo – the paramount issue for Serbian nationalist parties
During the past week, the list of Vuk Jeremić’s People’s Party was proclaimed for parliamentary, Belgrade and Vojvodina elections. Following his distancing from the pro-European parties, officially citing disagreements over the Franco-German plan for Kosovo, Jeremić stated that the People’s Party is entering these elections in a “coalition with the people”.
In their ongoing campaign, as is the case with other right-wing parties, the dominant topic is Kosovo. “The People’s Party opposes the independence of Kosovo and advocates for a resolute and unequivocal rejection of the Franco-German plan”, Jeremić said.
Leaders of the other two right-wing opposition coalitions – National Rally and NADA – visited Kosovo this week.
Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, the president of Zavetnici (member of the National Rally) entered Kosovo on Friday night through a forest. Kosovo authorities have banned Đurđević Stamenkovski from entering territory, citing her as a person who violates the constitution of the country.
“Who knows the goal, knows the way”, she wrote on X, where she posted a photo supposedly from Kosovo. Earlier on 24 November, Đurđević Stamenkovski visited Serbian villages bordering Kosovo. According to her, there is need for increasing patrolling of police and the army against the incursions of “Albanian extremists”.
In addition to Kosovo, among the topics addressed with voters by this coalition is the economy. The leader of Đurđević’s coalition partner Dveri, Boško Obradović, has promised that if his coalition comes to power, they will insist on providing subsidies to domestic entrepreneurs instead of foreign investor. Additionally, Obradović has conveyed that the coalition is against the extraction of lithium and multinational company Rio Tinto, which has been involved in plans concerning lithium extraction in recent years.
Leaders of the NADA coalition gathered around the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) also visited Kosovo. The President of DSS, Miloš Jovanović, said that his coalition will fight for Kosovo to remain an integral part of Serbia, “as foreseen by the Constitution and resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council.” He visited Gazimestan, near the battlefield of the 1389 Kosovo battle, a place of high symbolical value.
