Polling stations have officially closed across Serbia following snap parliamentary elections that recorded the highest voter participation in decades. The high-stakes vote is set to determine whether the long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party can maintain its grip on power in the face of a robust, student-backed movement born from nationwide demonstrations.

The State Election Commission reported that voter turnout reached 64.9 percent, marking the highest figure since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. Analysts note, however, that elevated turnout does not definitively signal which political faction gained the upper hand. While the incumbent administration relies on a dependable core electorate, the opposition student movement has reportedly focused on mobilizing traditionally disengaged voters.

Election day was notably marred by numerous allegations of voter intimidation and procedural failures. Independent watchdog groups, including the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), observed pressure on voters or election staff at nearly a third of monitored polling stations, alongside widespread violations of ballot secrecy. Another monitoring organization, CeSID, documented hundreds of complaints regarding potential irregularities such as ballot photography and group voting.

In the capital city of Belgrade, security measures were heavily intensified as riot police deployed near the election commission headquarters amid road closures and barricades. Local prosecutors urged all stakeholders to exercise restraint and avoid violence. The legislative vote follows nearly two years of sustained societal unrest, which originally erupted after a fatal railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that claimed 16 lives, subsequently fueling broader public anger over alleged official corruption.

Source: www.aljazeera.com