Brnabić calls local elections for June 2nd

(Patria) - Speaker of the Parliament Ana Brnabić called local elections for June 2nd in another 66 cities and municipalities in Serbia where they were not held in December 2023.

These elections will thus be merged with the already called elections for the city government in Belgrade on the same day, reports RSE.

The calling of elections in the remaining cities and municipalities comes after the MPs of the Serbian Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Local Elections on April 23rd. These amendments enabled the merging of elections for June 2nd.

Brnabić said today that the calling of local elections together with Belgrade elections is the result of a "successful dialogue" and the adoption of amendments by a two-thirds majority.

- I am pleased that we have sent a message from parliament to all our citizens that we, as their elected representatives, are capable of reaching an agreement despite all our differences - said Brnabić.

The elections for Belgrade were held on December 17th together with parliamentary and provincial elections. However, they are being repeated because no party or coalition won enough seats to form a government.

A little over a month before the elections, the opposition is divided on the decision of whether to participate or boycott them.

The Green-Left Front, the People's Movement of Serbia, Ecological Uprising, the Democratic Party, the Movement of Free Citizens, and New Face of Serbia will participate in the elections, as announced.

The Freedom and Justice Party, Serbia Center, and the NADA coalition have announced that they will not participate, as they believe there is not enough time to improve electoral conditions by June 2nd.

In addition to the aforementioned parties that participated in the December elections, the "Kreni-Promeni" Movement has also decided to run in the upcoming election race for power in Belgrade, and its program director Savo Manojlović will be the candidate for mayor.

After the elections on December 17th, the opposition accused the authorities of theft, which the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the state leadership denied. Both international and domestic observers noted irregularities in the elections.

The international observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) issued 25 recommendations to the authorities for improving electoral conditions.