2024 Serbian local elections

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2024 Serbian local elections

 2023
June 2, 2024 (2024-06-02)
2025 

Results of 2024 Serbian local elections:
  Serbia Tomorrow
  Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
  We Choose the Fight
  Healthy Serbia
  United Peasant Party
  JS—SPS
  Front for change
  Party for Democratic Action
  Justice and Reconciliation Party
  Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak

Serbia held local elections in a majority of its cities and municipalities (excluding the disputed territory of Kosovo) on 2 June 2024.

Initially, the Serbian government planned to hold a local election only for the City Assembly of Belgrade on 2 June, with the other local elections taking place later in the year. The Belgrade vote was required due to the city assembly's failure to constitute itself after the 2023 Belgrade City Assembly election, while the other elections were scheduled to take place in accordance with Serbia's regular local electoral cycle. Ana Brnabić, the president of the national assembly, contended that holding all local elections on 2 June would require a change in Serbia's law on local elections and would unfairly restrict the mandate of those elected in the last regular local election in 2020.[1] Following extended controversy, however, the law was amended on 23 April and local elections were announced for various cities and municipalities on 26 April.[citation needed]

Electoral process

With the exception of Belgrade, the cities and municipalities of Serbia that held off-year local elections in 2021, 2022, and 2023 participated in the 2024 vote. As several municipalities in Central Serbia held off-year elections in 2023, the overall number of jurisdictions holding local elections in 2024 was significantly lower than in the previous election cycle.

All local elections in Serbia are held under proportional representation. Mayors are not directly elected but are instead chosen by elected members of the local assemblies. The electoral threshold for assembly representation is three per cent (of all votes, not only of valid votes), although parties representing national minority communities are exempt from this requirement.

Parties

Serbia's governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and its allies participated fully in the elections. The opposition parties were by contrast divided on their strategy. Among the parties of the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition, the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), Serbia Centre (SRCE), and Together (Zajedno) announced a boycott in most jurisdictions, stating that no adequate guarantees were provided that the elections would be free and fair and that there was insufficient time for the situation to change.[citation needed]

As against this, the People's Movement of Serbia (NPS), the Green–Left Front (ZLF), the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), Ecological Uprising (EU), and the New Face of Serbia (NLS) participated in the vote. Although the Democratic Party (DS) voted in favour of a boycott, it also decided to adopt the position of the majority of the opposition parties, and on that basis it participated in the election as well. Outside the SPN coalition, the parties of the National Democratic Alliance (NADA) alliance chose to boycott the elections in most jurisdictions.[2][3] Other opposition parties, including Dveri, chose to participate.[4]

On 26 April 2024, SSP leader Dragan Đilas said that although his party would be boycotting the election in most jurisdictions, it would not discourage citizens from voting.[5]

Incidents

Results

References

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