Serbia’s populist president projected to win reelection

By JOVANA GEC and DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Pollsters are projecting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his populist right-wing party have won Sunday’s elections. If confirmed, his reelection would extend a decade of authoritarian rule in the Balkan country. The IPSOS and CESID pollsters have been reliable in previous Serbian ballots. They predict Vucic won nearly 60% of votes. That would give him a new five-year term without needing a runoff. Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party was forecast to take around 43% of votes for parliament. The election commission decided to not make any official announcements on the vote count before Monday. The opposition said the unprecedented move allowed Vucic to take over the state institution by giving him priority in announcing results. It says irregularities marred the vote.