Local elections will be held in two cities in Serbia - Zajčar and Kosijeric, which are seen as a test of the popularity of President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party, BNR reported.
This vote is the first in the country after the mass protests that erupted after a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station collapsed due to shoddy repairs in November last year. The incident killed 16 people.
In Kosijeric, a united opposition electoral list, supported by protesting students, is facing the Serbian Progressive Party. The students are hoping to repeat the success of the 1992 local elections, when the opposition won while Slobodan Milosevic was in power.
Serbia has been gripped by student protests in recent months against corruption, which they blame for the tragedy in Novi Sad. The students, who have found support in society, have blocked universities and regularly protest in various cities in our western neighbor, demanding accountability and a transparent investigation into the case. Last month, they even called for early parliamentary elections, although they previously insisted that their demands were not political. Before the local elections, they initiated the formation of a joint list in Kosice, supported by the majority of the opposition, which competes with the lists of the ruling parties.