Serbia holds general election amid call for EU membership

Serbians are voting in parliamentary elections in what is seen by observers as a referendum on the country’s bid for admission to the European Union.

According to the reports, voters queued at polling stations on Sunday as Serbia opened its third parliamentary elections in less than four years.

Some voters showed sign of apathy, saying they have had enough of votes over the past years. They said they were voting just out of duty.

About 6.7 million people were declared eligible to vote.

Opinion polls have shown that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s pro-EU Progressive Party is set to win about half of the votes while the pro-Russian far-right Radical Party, a resurgent ultra-nationalist group which wants Serbia to deepen its alliance with Russia instead of Europe, is also expected to win seats.

Vucic called the vote two years early, seeking a clear mandate to go ahead with reforms to join the EU.

He expressed hope that voters would choose a "European path”, saying he was “not going to make any compromise” with right-wing parties.

"I'm almost certain that we'll carry on our EU integration process," Vucic said.

Vojislav Seselj, who leads the Radical Party, said if elected, he will set up “a coalition with parties that renounce the European Union and favor integration with Russia.”

SS