Serbian Parties Seek Celebrity Support Ahead of Belgrade Vote

With campaigning well under way in the lead up to the Belgrade City Assembly election on March 4, political parties are scrambling to attract celebrity candidates and endorsements from stars and public figures in a bid to win over voters.

The Serbian Progressive Party has not only secured support from a raft of celebrities, including famous athletes, TV personalities and intellectuals, they have also included many of them on their electoral list.

Indeed, the Progressives have announced that there are more celebrities and public figures than party members among the top 20 ranked candidates on their list.

The top-ranked candidate on the Progressive list is surgeon Zoran Radojicic, general director of the University Children's Hospital in Belgrade and a professor at Belgrade University's Faculty of Medicine.

Another Progressive star candidate is Aja Jung, a former ballerina and director of the Belgrade Dance Festival.

Neither Radojicic nor Jung are party members. During an interview broadcast by the N1 television channel in January, Jung said: "Many on the [Progressives'] list are not politicians but are there to contribute with their knowledge, experience, skills and energy".

She said she decided to support the Progressives in order to see "change in the field of culture".

Basketball coach and former player Milan Gurovic, who won the gold medal with the Yugoslav national team at the 2002 World Championship, is also on the list, as well as former European basketball champion Goran Grbovic.

Opposition Celebs

One opposition figure who has leveraged significant celebrity support ahead of the vote is Dragan Djilas, the former city mayor and ex-Democratic Party leader.

Djilas is the mayoral...