Key events

Election monitors raise concerns about road blockage near election commission, security worries of EU observers

Head of the CRTA monitoring mission Raša Nedeljkov spoke about the restrictions in accessing the electoral commission on his press conference just moments ago (20:18).

“We noticed that, for the first time ever in history, access to the Republican Electoral Commission is blocked to the electors. As a citizen, you cannot go to the Electoral Commission and file complaints. You cannot come close to the building, which is… very worrying.”

During his briefing, he also got repeatedly asked about the view of the international observers, but declined to comment, saying that it’s up to them to declare it at their press conference tomorrow.

But he eventually says:

“I do regret that we are in a situations that the members of the European Parliament need police security to be able to move around Belgrade in Serbia. This is an illustration, a litmus test of the freedoms existing [here].”

Ana Milosavljevic
in Belgrade

Some excited people are gathering near the closed off electoral commission, shouting the students’ slogan “pumpaj” and “he’s finished!” to honking cars passing by.

Let’s see if that’s not premature.

People out on the streets of Belgrade in anticipation of the election result Photograph: Ana Milosavljevic/The Guardian

People gather on the streets of Belgrade in anticipation of the election results in Serbia Photograph: Ana Milosavljevic/The Guardian

'Scenes from Serbia are deeply concerning,' former UK foreign affairs committee chief says

Alicia Kearns, former chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, is the latest politician to sound the alarm over the potentially escalating climate in Serbia.

Writing on X, she said:

“Scenes from Serbia are deeply concerning and fears are escalating. The Government has a duty to keep all citizens safe, and ensure there is no climate of intimidation or use of military threat against citizens.

The UK Govt & EU must ensure the Serbian Government is in no doubt that peace must be upheld.”

It looks like voting hours are being extended at some polling stations after a somewhat chaotic afternoon.

In the southern city of Leskovac, one polling station will remain open until 11pm after voting was briefly suspended following an altercation involving a smaller party representative – and then another two other staff members got into a fight, prompting a police intervention, N1 reported.

Good luck with that vote count. Looks like they will need it.

The latest projection from election monitoring group CRTA puts turnout at 67.8% as of 7pm, running consistently 13 to 14 percentage points ahead of the 2023 vote.

That’s very similar to CeSID/Ipsos projection, perhaps encouragingly so (19:55).

Observers expect that figure to climb by another three or four percentage points before polls close, potentially challenging Serbia’s all-time record of 71.4% set in 1990.

Diaspora voters battle long queues as they are determined to cast their ballots

Earlier today, I mentioned how important the diaspora vote could be in this year’s election – despite some unsocial voting times for voters in the US, Canada and Australia (18:58, 19:09).

Here are some videos showing the extent of mobilisation in London, Vienna and Chicago, which all saw lengthy queues to get into the polling stations:

Serbian voters around the world queue to cast ballots in snap parliamentary election

It’s worth noting that earlier today, the students urged their supporters to stay away from any areas seeing reinforced police presence to avoid any provocations.

In a statement on X, they said:

“We call on all citizens of Belgrade not to gather near the locations where increased police presence and plainclothes individuals have been observed. Safely, peacefully, and with dignity until the end.”

Strengthened police presence near key institutions as polls close in Serbia

Ana Milosavljevic
in Belgrade

Police have cordoned off part of Kralja Milana Street in downtown Belgrade, where the Republic Electoral Commission is located.

Heavy police presence at Pioneers Park in Belgrade, on the night of the Serbian elections. Photograph: Daniel Alfoldi/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Meanwhile, groups of people congregate in front of the cordon, catching up and speculating about the results, as Vučić’s campaign advertisements cycle on a screen above them.

A security cordon set up in central Belgrade on the night of the 2026 Serbian parliamentary election, with a large screen showing the country's strongman leader Aleksandar Vucic. Photograph: Ana Milosavljevic/The Guardian

Dozens of gendarmerie officers, some looking bored and scrolling through their phones, are scattered throughout Pionirski Park, opposite the National Assembly and home to “Ćacilend,” the notorious government-backed counter-encampment.

In front of the Presidency, several cordons have also been set up, behind which squads of police officers gather around a handful of police vans.

Meanwhile, drivers stopped at the intersection in front of the National Assembly lean on their horns as passersby pump their fists into the air in anticipation of the results to come.

Serbian riot police officers block a boulevard shortly before the closing of the polls in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia. Photograph: Marko Drobnjaković/AP

Meanwhile, let’s go across to Ana Milosavljevic in Belgrade for the latest on what’s happening in the capital.

What is Serbia's electoral system?

Welcome to the geek corner.

Serbia’s electoral system is both straightforward and complicated, which makes it a nightmare to explain in a short blog post.

Generally, we are talking about a 250-seat parliament, and it’s a race to 126 in terms of securing a majority. There is only one constituency, and you vote for a closed party list, not a specific candidate.

Just look at the size of this ballot! Photograph: Pierre Crom/Getty Images

So far, so good.

The electoral threshold is generally 3%, but there are exceptions from this rule for national minority parties and they may or may not be relevant when determining the outcome of the vote.

Over to Florian Bieber of the University of Graz:

“What is important is not just the support for the two big lists, but it’s also about whether the smaller parties make it into parliament.

We’re talking about three parties which are really on the threshold. I expect them not to [get in], but again, we don’t know for sure. There’s the Socialists, which are the long-term coalition partners, and they seem to be in crisis, and Vucic’s could lose his only reliable coalition partner.

And then there are the two other opposition lists, the so-called Authentic Right, which is a kind of nationalist far right, but opposition list, and the European Serbia, which is a more pro-European opposition.

Neither of them is expected to get in. If they do enter parliament, they would be a coalition partner for the Student List, but if they are just below the threshold, it’s basically a lot of votes wasted for the opposition. …

In the end, unless the students get close to 50% of the vote, they’re unlikely to be able to form a government alone. So then these things start mattering a lot.”

And that’s before we look at the minority parties and what they may want (or not) to do with their votes.

Polls close across Serbia

So, that’s done.

Election commission members prepare a polling station for Serbia's snap parliamentary elections in Nis, southern Serbia. Photograph: Sasa Djordjevic/AFP/Getty Images

Now, the wait begins.

As explained earlier, we are expecting first projections – based on what both groups claim are representative samples of polling stations – to drop a bit later, around 9.30pm local time, so 8.30pm UK (18:42)

The polls are theoretically closing in under five minutes now – but anyone standing in the queue at 8pm Serbian time will still be able to cast their votes even a bit later.

So, if you are somewhere in the world, waiting in that queue, and reading our blog – don’t lose your spot.

CeSID/Ipsos project turnout of 67.6% at 7pm

The latest data from CeSID and Ipsos projects national turnout at 67.6% as of 7pm – once again pointing towards an exceptionally high final figure.