Vucic Seeks Premiership Amid Data Gaps

Serbia heads to the polls on October 25 with a voter roll that contains major structural flaws.

Aleksandar Vucic, who led the country for fourteen years, resigned as president in late September to seek the prime minister role he held from 2014 to 2017. His ruling party faces a challenge from a student movement that emerged from recent protests. Vladimir Bilcik, a former European Parliament rapporteur, described the race as the first in over a decade with a genuinely uncertain outcome.

RFE/RL's Balkan Service identified approximately 500,000 registered voters lacking complete addresses. These records often miss specific street names or house numbers. The investigation also found hundreds of voters listed at public facilities like social welfare centers or at residential addresses that could not logically hold so many people. These irregularities mirror issues seen in the 2023 election, where international observers reported the transport of voters from Bosnia-Hercegovina and instances of intimidation.

The vote occurs days before the second anniversary of the Novi Sad tragedy. On November 1, 2024, a railway station canopy collapsed, killing sixteen people. The disaster fueled nationwide protests alleging corruption in a Chinese-led construction project. Authorities met the protests with police force and arrests. A severe incident on March 15, 2025, involved the alleged use of an unlawful sonic weapon against peaceful demonstrators. Vucic announced his resignation and early elections following a student protest in June.

The government claims it implemented all recommendations from the OSCE after the 2023 election. An interim OSCE report contradicted this assertion, noting that 300 deployed observers found continuing issues. RFE/RL investigations showed the number of eligible voters in Bosnia and Kosovo increased ahead of the vote. Four employees of Serbia-funded institutions in Kosovo told RFE/RL they faced pressure to support the ruling party, a practice also documented in several Serbian municipalities.

Allegations of illegal surveillance complicate the political climate. A US Senate Foreign Relations Committee statement on October 21 cited reports of illegal monitoring of opposition members. Research by the nonprofit SHARE and Toronto University researchers alleged that at least sixteen cases of the Pegasus surveillance software, which is illegal in Serbia, were used in 2026. Government officials denied targeting political rivals.

International observers have noted a decline in freedoms in Serbia over the past decade, a trend confirmed by the latest Freedom House report. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed personal support for Vucic. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson stated that Russia is deploying resources to monitor and disrupt Serbian citizens. The student movement, led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, focuses on fighting corruption and has opposed sanctions against Russia.

Serbia's EU integration has stalled with no new accession chapter opened since late 2021. Democratic backsliding, unresolved relations with Kosovo, and the refusal to sanction Russia are cited as the main reasons for this impasse.