Partial elections to be held in Serbia after turmoil
Voters (R) register in before casting their ballot at a polling station during parliamentary and local elections in Serbia, Belgrade, Dec. 17, 2023. (AFP Photo)


The recent elections would be held again in some areas in Serbia, reports said Wednesday, after days of protests and a row over alleged election rigging.

The parliamentary election will be repeated at 30 polling stations – out of over 8,000 voting places, said a statement published by state-run broadcaster RTS. The rerun is set for Dec. 30.

The announcement follows two days of protests that saw thousands rally in front of Serbia's election commission following the weekend's polls.

President Aleksandar Vucic said his party had secured a commanding victory in parliamentary and local elections.

Criticism of the elections has been mounting after a team of international observers – including representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – claimed a string of "irregularities," including "vote buying" and "ballot box stuffing."

Germany later labeled the reported allegations "unacceptable" for a country hoping to join the European Union, while the United States called on Belgrade to address the "concerns" of the election monitors.

Even though Vucic was not personally on the ballot, the contest was largely seen as a referendum on his government.

Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) earned roughly 46% of votes in the parliamentary elections, while the leading opposition coalition secured 23.5% of ballots, according to official results.

The SNS also said it won in municipal elections in the capital Belgrade, where the party faced its stiffest challenge from a loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) banner.

The SPN movement was formed in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings earlier this year, which spurred hundreds of thousands to take to the streets in rallies that morphed into anti-government protests over several months.

Opposition groups have cast doubts over the validity of the contest in the wake of accusations that the government allowed unregistered voters from neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina to cast ballots illegally in the capital.