Rysslandpositivism tycks stärka presidentens stöd

General elections will be held in Serbia on 3 April 2022 to elect both the president and members of the National Assembly. Initially, parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held in 2024; however, in October 2020 president Aleksandar Vučić stated that snap parliamentary elections would be held in or before April 2022. In addition to the general elections, local elections will be held simultaneously in 12 municipalities and 2 cities, including Belgrade. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power in 2012 after forming a government with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). They managed to win a supermajority of seats following the 2020 parliamentary election, which was boycotted by majority of parties, which stated that the conditions weren't free and fair. Vučić, who was elected president in 2017, faced mass protests during his first term, most notably during 2018–2020 and in July 2020. Vučić also oversaw the inter-party dialogues regarding electoral conditions which took place in 2021, while the agreement regarding the conditions between government and opposition parties was reached in October 2021. Over the course of 2021 and early 2022, environmental protests were also held, with its climax being reached in November and December 2021. The government also held a referendum regarding the implementation of changes to the constitution in January 2022 which was approved by 60% of the voters, although the turnout was reported to only be at 30%. Opposition parties have also solidified their presence in the elections, such as the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition that received the greatest support amongst opposition parties in opinion polls. The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) has confirmed that 19 parliamentary lists and eight presidential candidates will participate in the general elections.