Local elections in two locations in Serbia yesterday have resulted in a standoff: both the regime and its opponents are claiming victory, both are claiming abuses by the other side, and both are saying that this moment is a watershed.

They are both right. I’m offering a (not very bold) prediction: parliamentary elections will be called this year. And I’m offering an overview of some of the high risks that come with entering into an election without electoral reforms that would make a free and fair competition more likely. And I’m offering an equivocal prediction: things could get worse, they could get better, they could enter into an extended deadlock, but whatever happens the situation will not remain the same.

* Here’s an initial report from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy on irregularities in the local elections: https://bezbednost.org/en/police-under-informal-control-of-party-loyalists/

* Here’s the election observation report from CRTA: https://crta.rs/izvestaj-o-dugorocnom-posmatranju-lokalnih-izbora-kosjeric-i-zajecar/

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