Even after three days of heated debate in parliament, Serbia is no closer to snap parliamentary elections.
The government, which has been led since April 2025 by doctor and university professor Đura Macut, received the backing of the ruling coalition – led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) – to continue its work.
Of the 176 MPs present in the chamber, 135 voted against the opposition’s motion, 40 voted in favour of no confidence in the government, and one abstained.
Although Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his associates have for days been floating the possibility of snap elections – with Vučić mentioning late autumn as a potential timeframe for the vote – nothing has come of it for now.
Since the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people, Serbia has seen the largest anti-government protests to date. Students subsequently demanded that Vučić call snap elections, a request he rejected.
The SNS’s decision to support the opposition’s initiative to debate confidence in the government was seen as a potential prelude to an election. The ruling coalition had previously rejected the exact same opposition initiative on two separate occasions earlier this year.
Ahead of the Serbian National Assembly session, SNS representatives stated they supported the opposition’s request this time because they “wished to present all the results” achieved over the past year. Opposition figures, meanwhile, accused the authorities of having “usurped and captured Serbia”.
Opposition politician Miroslav Aleksić dominated this parliamentary session by delivering a marathon speech on the first day of the debate (27 July), accusing Vučić of “playing games with the state”. “One minute he says elections will be in November, maybe in December… I’m not even sure he knows when the elections will be…”, said Aleksić, leader of the opposition People’s Movement of Serbia.
“If you are so strong, so confident in yourselves, and have the backing of the citizens, what was the problem with calling an election last year for all of us ‘blockaders, terrorists’, as you call us? You panicked, and you are terrified of losing the ministerial seats you’ve grown attached to, because you have usurped and captured the state of Serbia,” Aleksić said.
Macut: ‘Judge us by our deeds’
The three-day debate merely confirmed the deep divide between the two political poles.
The outnumbered opposition demanded answers from Macut and his ministers on various issues, criticising the government for the total usurpation of the state, incompetence, rigging tenders for major projects, degrading the medical profession and healthcare system, and various scandals.
They also accused the government of eroding all public institutions and failing to uphold the rule of law – the European Union’s chief grievance. Meanwhile, figures such as Dragan Đilas, leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice, spoke of “links between the authorities and criminal groups”.
Corruption is the single biggest problem facing this society, and Serbia ranks worst among the countries in the region and is one of the worst in Europe, opposition MP Miroslav Aleksić noted in his closing remarks before the vote. He reproached Macut for having no real say and allowing himself to become a puppet, thereby humiliating his own reputation and professional standing.
Ministers and MPs from the ruling coalition rejected all opposition criticism. This government will not be judged by newspaper headlines, social media posts, or daily political bickering, but by its deeds, Macut said at the conclusion of the debate.
In recent months, the government has continued to safeguard the country’s economic stability, attract investment, build roads and railways, and invest in hospitals, schools, science, and higher education, he argued. He added that he would advocate for a “continuation of dialogue”, although in a deeply divided Serbia, no dialogue between opposing sides currently exists.
Dačić plays ‘sonic weapon’ sound effect from phone
The first day of debate was also marked by Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić, who played a sound from his mobile phone that he claimed was a “real acoustic cannon”, in response to criticism from opposition MPs.
At one of the largest anti-government protests on 15 March 2025 in Belgrade, a piercing, high-pitched noise was heard, sparking panic among demonstrators. To this day, it remains unconfirmed what forced thousands of people into a panicked stampede that night in Belgrade.
Will there be elections and when?
On 20 July, Vučić stated that the Serbian Government would likely resign first, after which he would call elections, and two weeks later he himself would step down from office. “The moment I receive notification from the government and parliament, I will call elections for MPs.
“For a short while longer – a few days or two weeks at most – I will remain President of the Republic because I have a lot of important state business to take care of, so I will not participate in the campaign,” he said.
The day before the parliamentary session, Vučić stated in an interview with TV Prva that snap parliamentary elections would take place in November or December, with presidential elections following a month later – at the earliest in December, and at the latest in February 2027.
(BBC Serbia, 30.07.2026)
https://naslovi.net/2026-07-30/bbc-news/skupstina-srbije-podrska-vladi-izbori-na-cekanju/42132255