Roma Party President Srđan Šajn has accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of postponing parliamentary elections to avoid a period when large numbers of Serbian citizens working abroad return home, arguing that many of them do not trust the current government.
Commenting on Vučić’s recent statement that he would not call elections while part of the electorate is on vacation, Šajn said the president was overlooking the fact that even more Serbian citizens living and working abroad spend their annual holidays in Serbia during the summer.
“One of the key reasons elections were not called for July or August is that a large number of citizens temporarily employed abroad spend their vacations in Serbia, and they do not trust the regime,” Šajn said in a written statement.
He also alleged that some municipal authorities possess data on voters temporarily residing abroad and claimed that, in previous elections, polling boards aligned with the ruling authorities had cast ballots on behalf of some of those voters.
Šajn did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
Turning to the opposition, the Roma Party leader argued that Serbia’s parliamentary opposition and the student movement are losing valuable time that should be used to coordinate with other political groups intending to participate in the upcoming elections.
According to Šajn, following the recent parliamentary session on the confidence vote in the government, building opposition unity has become the most important political task.
He urged opposition parties and the student movement to work together to ensure that “not a single opposition vote is wasted” and to reach a broad consensus on forming joint electoral lists as well as coordinating technical measures related to election monitoring and oversight.
The remarks come amid growing political debate over the timing of Serbia’s next parliamentary elections, with President Aleksandar Vučić recently stating that he would wait before calling a vote until holiday travel had concluded.
