The Monarchists – Movement for the Kingdom of Serbia have rejected Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Miloš Vučević’s call for all political actors to commit in advance to accepting the results of the next election, saying opposition parties cannot be expected to recognize what they describe as potentially fraudulent results.
The political alliance said it would recognize any result reflecting the free will of Serbian voters, but not the outcome of what it called electoral fraud.
“Instead of asking the opposition to sign a blank check in advance recognizing the results of elections whose date we do not even know, Vučević should accept that a substantive discussion on electoral conditions must finally begin,” said Dušan Radosavljević, co-president of the Monarchists and a member of parliament from the NADA coalition, which includes the New Democratic Party of Serbia.
Vučević told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) earlier Thursday that he believed Serbia was less than 100 days away from elections. He called on all political actors to prepare for the vote and accept its outcome, arguing that every participant should make a responsible commitment to respect the will of voters.
Radosavljević, however, said the Monarchists do not trust the government’s latest announcements about an imminent election.
“After so many unfulfilled promises and postponed deadlines, we have no reason to believe the SNS’s new announcements,” he said. He argued that elections would not be held before July 2027 and accused the ruling party of using such statements to buy time, distract the public and avoid addressing electoral conditions.
The Monarchists said any discussion about accepting election results must be preceded by measures to prevent alleged electoral abuses.
Radosavljević cited vote-buying, pressure and blackmail against employees, so-called phantom voters, the misuse of public resources and what he described as restricted media access for opposition parties and the student electoral movement.
He also questioned the registration of approximately 130,000 new citizens with voting rights, asking where their registered residences are located.
“The government organizes the elections and controls the institutions, and therefore the responsibility for ensuring their legality and regularity lies exclusively with the government,” Radosavljević said.
He added that there would be no dispute over recognizing the results if authorities guaranteed free and fair elections.
“Let them ensure fair and honest elections and there will be no dilemma about recognizing the results. But no one can ask the opposition to promise in advance that it will recognize electoral fraud if it occurs on election day,” Radosavljević said.
The dispute comes amid growing political uncertainty in Serbia over the timing and conditions of the next parliamentary elections, with the ruling SNS and opposition forces increasingly clashing over electoral legitimacy and the rules under which the vote should be conducted.
