Vucic Seeks Premiership as Half Million Voter Records Lacks Addresses

Aleksandar Vucic steps into the polls this week after a fourteen year grip on Serbian power.

The former president, who stepped down in late September to avoid a third presidential term, is now running for prime minister. He held that post from 2014 to 2017. The October 25 vote pits his ruling coalition against an opposition movement born from recent student protests.

Questions over the fairness of the count have grown louder in recent weeks. An investigation by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service found roughly 500,000 registered voters without complete addresses. Many of these records are missing street names or house numbers entirely. The audit also located hundreds of voters listed at social welfare centers or in homes too small to hold so many people.

These data gaps revive doubts from the 2023 election. International observers then reported that voters were transported from neighboring Bosnia-Hercegovina. They also documented instances of voter intimidation on the ground.

The timing of the election is fraught with tension. It falls just days before the second anniversary of the Novi Sad tragedy. On November 1, 2024, a renovated canopy at the city’s railway station collapsed, killing sixteen people. The disaster sparked nationwide protests over alleged corruption on the site, a project led by Chinese firms. The government denied wrongdoing but met the demonstrators with police force and arrests.

On March 15, 2025, authorities allegedly used an unlawful sonic weapon against peaceful protesters. Following further unrest in June, Vucic announced his resignation and set the date for early elections.

Vladimir Bilcik, a former European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, called this the first election in over a decade with a genuinely uncertain outcome. Current polling shows the electorate deeply split. The student opposition lacks formal leaders. Their candidate list features nonpartisan figures, including university professors. Cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic heads the list, though the movement has clarified that his position does not guarantee a premiership.

The government claims it has addressed all criticism from the OSCE’s 2023 observation mission. An interim report from the OSCE, which deployed 300 observers, contradicted that claim. RFE/RL noted that the number of eligible voters in Bosnia and Kosovo rose ahead of the vote. These regions are key sources of support for Vucic’s Progressive Party among ethnic Serbs. Four employees of Serbia-funded institutions in Kosovo told RFE/RL they faced pressure to vote for the ruling party. Similar pressure was documented in several Serbian municipalities.

Allegations of illegal surveillance have further clouded the campaign. A statement from the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on October 21 cited reports of illegal monitoring of opposition members. Researchers from the Serbian nonprofit SHARE and Toronto University alleged that Pegasus surveillance software, which is illegal in Serbia, was used in at least sixteen cases in 2026. Government officials have denied targeting political rivals.

International observers note a decline in freedoms in Serbia over the past decade, a trend confirmed by the latest Freedom House report. Some US lawmakers warn that Moscow may play an active role in the election. The European Parliament has raised concerns about Russian influence operations. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson stated that Russia is deploying resources to monitor and disrupt Serbian citizens and the student movement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally expressed support for Vucic. Vucic has pledged to maintain his foreign policy course, including his refusal to follow EU calls for sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The student movement has focused on fighting corruption, opposed sanctions, and reiterated support for Belgrade’s stance of not recognizing Kosovo’s independence. Serbia’s progress in EU integration has stalled, with no new accession chapter opened since late 2021.