Official results confirm Serbia PM Vucic elected president
BELGRADE, Serbia — A near-complete official vote count of Serbia’s presidential election confirmed on Monday that prime minister Aleksandar Vucic has won by a landslide in the first round of voting, further strengthening his authoritarian rule in the Balkan country amid support from Russia.
The State Election Commission said after counting 91 per cent of ballots that Vucic won 55 per cent of votes, followed by liberal candidate Sasa Jankovic with 16 per cent, and Luka Maksimovic, a parody politician, with 9 per cent.
The triumph in Sunday’s balloting is a major boost for Vucic, who is now expected to further tighten his firm grip on power in Serbia. Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party also dominates the parliament.
Hundreds of mostly young people gathered in downtown Belgrade on Monday afternoon to protest against Vucic. Blowing whistles and chanting “We don’t want you Vucic!” and “Vucic is a thief!” the crowd stopped traffic in front of Serbia’s parliament building.