Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced Nov. 2 that he will dissolve Serbian Parliament and he officially announced that elections would be held Dec. 17, 2023, as expected
“I am passing a decision to call for elections for deputies on Dec. 17, 2023,” he said, as cited by the Serbian news site N1.
Vucic was long expected to announce elections on Dec. 17, and in the past he has mentioned that date. During the announcement he also noted the fact that the world is beset with global conflicts and that Serbia must hold to democracy and deal regional issues such as Kosovo.
He also called for the next elections to remain “civilized.”
The announcement was concurrent with Vucic also stating that he would never recognize the independence of Kosovo even as there were repeated calls for Kosovo and Serbia to return to constructive dialogue for “normalization.” In fact, the “normalization” of relations, as defined by the EU and the US does include a path for the recognition of Kosovo independence.
Vucic, who has also been under pressure at home and who saw the opposition protest repeatedly over gun violence and his government during the summer, has said Serbia is ready to sign “any agreement” that will serve to de-escalate tensions between the two states—apart from said recognition.
Photo courtesy of Leon E. Panetta, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
