Presidential elections in Serbia must be held no later than December 27, and their announcement must take place by November 27, acting President Ana Brnabić said today, according to Tanjug.
At a press conference in Belgrade, Brnabić explained that if the new state institutions are formed quickly after the early parliamentary elections of October 25, the duties of acting president could be taken over by another official.
She expressed confidence that by November 27, at least the new parliament will have been formed. Brnabić said that once the repeat voting process in several polling stations is completed and the final results are announced, she will convene the first session of parliament as soon as possible. She called on the political forces that won the elections to take responsibility and begin without delay the creation of the new state institutions.
“The rapid formation of institutions is the most important thing at this moment, so that those who won the elections take responsibility for how the citizens live in this country,” Brnabić said. Referring to developments after the October 25 parliamentary elections, she called for calm and respect for the Constitution, laws and institutions of the country.
Brnabić described as unacceptable certain events that occurred after the announcement of the election results, citing interference in the television channels “Informer” and “Pink”, as well as other incidents that, in her view, constitute pressure on citizens and institutions.
She urged the election winners not to allow violence and disregard for the law to continue, stressing that responsibility for governing the country must pass to the new parliamentary majority. Aleksandar Vučić resigned from the post of president on September 27, temporarily handing over his duties to the speaker of parliament, Ana Brnabić. According to Serbian legislation, after the early termination of a presidential mandate, new elections must be held within three months.
For this reason, the vote must be held no later than December 27. Meanwhile, the early parliamentary elections took place on October 25. The list backed by the student movement emerged victorious, defeating the coalition led by Vučić’s “Serbian Progressive Party”. The electoral process has not yet been fully completed, as voting will be repeated in several polling stations on November 1. After the announcement of the final results, the procedure for constituting the new parliament and forming the governing institutions will begin.