Frankfurter Rundschau: Elections could seriously challenge Vučić's power

The German daily writes that before the end of his second and final term as head of state, Vučić is looking for a way to stay in power and return from the presidency to the prime minister's chair, but the latest local elections have shown that his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has suffered significant losses.

"Vučić should fear for his re-election and for the votes for his SNS. The example he warns of is the loss of his like-minded (Viktor) Orbán in Hungary," the daily writes.

"In some cases, the autocrat Vučić has used long-known methods to secure his position and manipulate elections in his favor. The repertoire is diverse. It ranges from vote buying and blackmailing voters, through fake electoral lists, to organized 'tourist voters' and ballot boxes stuffed with ballot papers in advance. This also includes intimidation of voters with the help of hired thugs," writes FR.

However, the newspaper writes that it is not only direct manipulation that can affect the elections, but also the timing of their holding plays a crucial role.

Dnevnik writes that due to the overloaded public administration, the ruling SNS has already secured a large number of votes.

"However, in the case of a high turnout, their importance would decrease. As would that of forced or bought votes. If the turnout were low, their importance for the election outcome would increase. During the summer holidays, it is likely that a portion of voters who are more inclined towards the opposition will sunbathe on the beaches of the Adriatic or Aegean. And protests against the theft of the elections would be easier to spread in Belgrade, deserted due to the holidays," writes FR.

On the other hand, it could "happen that even traditional government supporters are not in the mood to rebook their vacations, so they may boycott the elections or even vote for the opposition."

Reporting on the question raised by the Belgrade weekly NIN, whether it is “Blickrig” or “Bluff”, FR writes that “it is unclear whether Vučić, faced with a decline in viewership, really wants to annoy his compatriots and invite them to the July vote, provoke political opponents, or divert attention from other topics by fueling speculation about the ‘summer elections’”.

The Geopost