Serbian President, Ruling Party Won Elections

A Serbian-based NGO observing the parliamentary elections, CESID, said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic won another five-year term in the first round, and that his Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, had won the most votes at the parliamentary elections and will again dominate the 250-seat parliament.

CESID said that Vucic had won 59.8 per cent of votes cast in the presidential elections, while his SNS won 43.5 per cent of votes cast in the parliamentary elections. Its partner party, the Socialist Party of Serbia, SPS, won another 11.6 per cent, giving them a healthy majority.

The NGO's projection shows that the main presidential challenger to Vucic, retired general Zdravko Ponos, won 17 per cent of votes cast.

In the parliamentary elections, the "United for Serbia" coalition, the strongest opposition option, won 12.9 per cent of the votes cast and the green-left opposition coalition "Moramo" ("We Must"), won 4.4 per cent.

Several right-wing options also crossed the threshold, including NADA, which took 5.4 per cent, Oathkeepers, which won 3.9 per cent and Dveri, which won 4 per cent.

Addressing supporters and media at his party's headquarter, Vucic said that the results show the country is going in the right direction and that he was proud of the election results.

"This shows what I am unusually proud of, that after Nikola Pasic [Serbian and Yugoslav PM at the beginning of the 20th century], I will be the Serb who was longest in power in our country," Vucic said at the press conference.

"I want to say that I am proud of our campaign, which was the cleanest and most beautiful, and that I am proud that we have not slandered anyone," Vucic added.

The winners in the local elections in Belgrade were less...