Autocrat’s rightwing party claims landslide victory

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s president declared a dominant victory Sunday for his rightwing party in a parliamentary vote held amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus and a boycott by much of the opposition.

Aleksandar Vucic told jubilant supporters that his Serbian Progressive Party won over 60% of the vote, or some 190 seats in the 250seat Serbian parliament.

“I have been long in politics, but I never experienced such a moment,” Vucic said.

The initial unofficial results indicate that Serbia will have a unique assembly, with virtually no opposition. Vucic’s allied Socialists are slated to get 10% for the second place in the vote.

The turnout among the nearly 6.6 million voters who were eligible to cast ballots for Serbia’s parliament and local offices was lower than in previous elections.

While Serbian voters were not choosing a president Sunday, the autocratic president has dominated the campaign through the mainstream media that he controls, denouncing and ridiculing his critics.

Citing the lack of fair voting conditions and a danger to public health, several main opposition groups boycotted the vote.

A former extreme nationalist, Vucic briefly served as information minister in the government of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic during the 1990s wars in the Balkans. While Vucic now says he seeks European Union membership for Serbia, critics warn that democratic freedoms have eroded since his party came to power in 2012.