Serbians vote in snap election, ruling party set to secure another term
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Serbians began voting on Sunday in a snap election seen as an effort by President Aleksandar Vucic and his populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to secure another four-year term, after two mass shootings earlier this year rattled their popularity.
A total of 18 parties and alliances are vying for the support of the 6.5 million-strong electorate for 250 seats in the parliament. The threshold for entering the parliament is 3% of votes. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and will close at 8 p.m.
Though exit polls are prohibited by law, the first unofficial results from pollsters based on monitoring of counting at a nationwide sample of poll stations are expected after 9 p.m. (2000 GMT).
The state election commission is expected to announce full results in the coming days.
Two mass shootings in May, resulting in 18 deaths, including nine elementary school students, triggered protests that shook Vucic and the SNS's decade-long grip on power. The dissent was exacerbated by rising inflation, standing at 8% in November.
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