Serbia votes as strongman Vučić faces grassroots challenge to 12-year rule – Europe live

The Student List movement is taking on authoritarian leader following nearly two years of protests against government and institutional corruption What is at stake in Serbia’s election? Not necessarily that much in substance, but definitely a change in optics. Unlike most European leaders – with the exception of ousted Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and his loyal Slovak ally Robert Fico – Vučić has maintained closed ties with Russia, despite the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Last year, he and Fico even controversially joined the Russian Victory Parade in Moscow. “It’s like in Chekhov’s plays: if there’s a rifle hanging on the wall in the first act, that rifle will fire in the third act.” Continue reading...