Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned from the presidency in September and is running for prime minister in parliamentary elections considered to be one of the most competitive elections for Serbia in recent memory. "I think this is certainly the biggest challenge for the former President in his 14-year rule," Helena Ivanov, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. "The student protesters have been able to capture the hearts and minds of people and keep the momentum going in a way that the established opposition was never able to do," Ivanov added.
ANTI‑CORRUPTION PROTESTS HIT EUROPEAN NATION AS CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS GROW Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told Fox News Digital that he believes the student opposition is highly unlikely to win. "The people of Serbia have seen through them: years of criticism have not persuaded the public that they have a credible program or a serious plan for the country’s future," the foreign minister said. Djuric touted Serbia’s economy under Vucic and the Strategic Dialogue with the U.S., which he said will foster greater cooperation and new opportunities for Serbs.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in June when he was still president, Vucic pointed to the country's economic growth as evidence of its transformation. "Our GDP was 32 billion (euros) when I became the prime minister," Vucic said. "This year it's going to be over 100 billion euros, which is $120 billion." Vucic first became prime minister in 2014 and president in 2017.
In that same interview, he said the improving relationship between Washington and Belgrade was increasingly centered on economics, investment and technological cooperation and mutual conservative values. A bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., and Sen.
Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the Supporting the Rule of Law, Building Institutional Justice, and Accountability Act (SRBIJA) to address democratic backsliding in Serbia, promote the rule of law and accountability and improve the treatment of student-led civic protests. Most importantly, the legislation would condition future aid on a presidential certification that Serbia made "significant and sustained" efforts toward judicial accountability, press freedom and alignment with the EU and NATO. The bipartisan group of lawmakers, which also included Rep.
Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., took aim at President Vucic and his time in power. EXCLUSIVE: SERBIAN PRESIDENT VUČIĆ SAYS SUPPORT FOR US 'SURGED' UNDER TRUMP, INVITES HIM TO VISIT BELGRADE There are growing concerns from Congress and observers that the election will take place in a hostile environment and efforts to discredit and undermine the election are already underway.
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