Serbia's Host of Opposition Parties Struggle for Support

Three Serbian politicians who quit their original parties are due to officially register their new parties in the coming weeks and months.

The former Democratic Party leader and Serbian president, Boris Tadic, is preparing to register his New Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, two former members of United Regions of Serbia, URS, Bosko Nicic and Veroljub Stevanovic, are launching the "I live for Krajina" and "Together for Sumadija" parties.

Serbia already has 93 registered political parties, 54 of which represent the country's various ethnic minorities.

However, while the number of players in political arena is growing, the popularity of most parties has never been lower.

Research conducted by agency Strategic Marketing in July shows about 53 per cent of voters support the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, giving it an unchallenged ascendancy over the political scene generally.

Another 12 per cent would vote for the Socialist Party of Serbia, which is the Progressives’ partner in coalition.

None of the other parties would even pass the 5-per-cent threshold needed to enter parliament, based on the support that they enjoy now.

Of all the opposition parties, the best rated is the once dominant Democratic Party, which can muster the support now of only about 4 per cent of voters.

The results show that opposition parties are hitting rating that are a record low since the democratic changes took place in 2000.

Djordje Vukovic, a political analyst from the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, CeSid, an NGO, told BIRN that opposition parties must fight to regain the trust of voters in order to bounce back.

“They must find topics that are relevant to citizens and actively engage them; they must...