Serbian presidential election, 2 April 2017

[mgop]

Election again in Serbia. President Nikolic will not run for re-election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_presidential_election,_2017

[DavidB.]

Most likely winner is Aleksandar Vucic, who is a member of the SNS and has been Prime Minister since 2014 (under president Nikolic).

[kyc0705]

Does the President of Serbia actually do anything, or is it more of a “ribbon cutter in chief” type of role?

[mgop]

Most likely winner is Aleksandar Vucic, who is a member of the SNS and has been Prime Minister since 2014 (under president Nikolic).

yeah he controls all media but there probably will be second round and you never know 'one on one'

[mgop]

Does the President of Serbia actually do anything, or is it more of a “ribbon cutter in chief” type of role?

president role is largely ceremonial like in germany but vucic wants to control everything, so if he wins he will put puppet prime minister and if he loses he will remain prime minster because he didn't resign

[Lord Halifax]

Most likely winner is Aleksandar Vucic, who is a member of the SNS and has been Prime Minister since 2014 (under president Nikolic).

yeah he controls all media but there probably will be second round and you never know 'one on one'

Vucic is at 52.3% in the latest Ipsos poll and his opponents on around 40% combined. I see no reason why there should be a 2nd round. The moment Nikolic gave up this seized to be a competitive election.

[ApatheticAustrian]

all hail to the pro-western soft-autocrat.

[mgop]

Most likely winner is Aleksandar Vucic, who is a member of the SNS and has been Prime Minister since 2014 (under president Nikolic).

yeah he controls all media but there probably will be second round and you never know 'one on one'

Vucic is at 52.3% in the latest Ipsos poll and his opponents on around 40% combined. I see no reason why there should be a 2nd round. The moment Nikolic gave up this seized to be a competitive election.

and ipsos is famous for predicting good. in 2012 they said tadic 58% nikolic 42% guess who won...

[mgop]

all hail to the pro-western soft-autocrat.

soft lol he controls all tv stations and news papers, and about being pro-western, you realise that you talking about former radical and he still have support from russia as much as from west. there is two normal opposition candidates jankovic (former ombudsman) and jeremic (former un chairman and finished second behind gutieres in un election last year), both 'pro-western', but opposition parties cant decide who to support.

[DavidB.]

Vucic has got this, with or without second round. Unfortunately so, I might add, because I'm not a big fan of the SNS/HDZ/GERB type of Balkan center-right party, who often pretend to be patriotic folksy conservatives while leading their countries straight into the EU just to line their pockets. Corrupt as hell, and only in it for themselves. Then again, it's not as if most opposition parties are any better.

As for Vucic being a former radical, this is true, but it seems that when money talks Aleksandar Vucic listens. During the refugee crisis in 2015 he criticized Orbán and his fence and stated that Serbia would be willing to take in refugees, which, according to Vucic, makes it "more European" than "some of its neighbors" (maek u thnk). I bet most SNS voters would disagree with this stance.

Seselj or bust imo. Always love it when Serbian candidates have a history in the city of peace and justice

[Beagle]

You can watch Vučić's coronation in real time here (Janković network of observers relays polling stations reports as soon as they're done with counting). Given the atmosphere in which the elections took place, a second round will be an incredible upset.

I'll take the liberty of reposting a comparison from aad:

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[kelestian]

10% reported

Vucic 59,79%
Jankovic 13,18%
Maksimovic 8,35%

[MAINEiac4434]

Front page of Blic today. You can guess the headline.


(also, what is Debbie Wasserman Schultz doing there!?)