Even half municipalities where voting was held in the local elections on March 29, passed the turnout of 70 percent, and in two municipalities the turnout exceeded 75.
77,93 people voted in Lucani, 76 percent in Sevojno, and 73 percent in Bajana Bašta, according to unofficial figures. 71 percent of citizens voted in Kula, and about 70 percent in Knjaževac and Arandjelovac, according to preliminary figures. Bor won 67 percent of the vote, Smederevska Palanka 63 percent, and Majdanpek 62 percent. The lowest turnout was recorded in Kladovo - 53,6 percent.
These data are not interesting because of the mere breaking of records, as well as the fact that certain tabloids claim that they are "brave citizens came out to vote for the government, regardless of the blockaders threatening them". Already because of the tendency of the regime's popularity to fall.
What is the minus of SNS?
A comparative analysis of local voting in ten municipalities across Serbia shows a large disparity between the government's earlier successes and the new situation on the ground.
"The absolute number of votes of the Serbian Progressive Party, not that it did not increase, it even fell by about ten percent," political scientist Dejan Bursać explains for "Vreme". "Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić himself could not hide the miscalculation in his speech. He mentioned how SNS took 30 percent of the votes in Bor last year, and now 48 percent. However, he did not add that now they went to the elections in the widest possible coalition, and that the same parties got a total of 60 percent of the votes last time at the bar in Bor."
The SNS and the ruling coalition gathered around that party in Arandjelovac has a drop in support of about seven percent, and with Zetnik about 19, Boban Stojanović told N1. In Bajina Bašta they have minus six, in Kladovo plus four, and in Knjaževac minus 24 percent. In Kula, the minus goes up to 13, and in Lucani up to five percent. In Majdanpek, the regime made a minus of seven percent, and in Smederevska Palanka, of 18 percent, while in Sevojno, it was at 7,5 percent.
In the same address, the president also mentioned that he received a mysterious research that says that SNS is in the best position in the last five years, and Bursać comments that "whoever brought this research to him, should know that it has nothing to do with reality."
"These are all messages to the regime's voters," added Bursać. "Before going to the local elections, SNS had two goals - the first was to preserve power, and the second was to prove that they were still strong. Although they succeeded in the first, the second goal was absolutely shaken."
Turnout then and nowTurnout then and now
The students managed to wake up the white papers
Bursać is convinced that the large turnout is the result of student involvement and the rebellion that has spread across the country in the last year and a half.
"These are people who are mobilized by protests and the student movement," he says and adds that it is very important to take into account that on the last weekend of March, voting was held in municipalities that are small communities with a maximum of about 40.000 inhabitants.
In the municipalities where the votes were cast, mostly pensioners, employees of the state administration, people who depend on the state and where the local media scene is closed, such as Knjaževac and Bajina Bašta, live.
"We have seen the massive mobilization of opponents of the regime in action. Students and others have shown that they can mobilize control teams. The SNS would not have needed to bring in criminals and paramilitaries and additionally waste legitimacy if it had not been tight," says the political scientist. "If in small municipalities the SNS can go down to 51, what will happen when Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš enter the equation? One municipality of Belgrade can compensate for the total loss of votes against the SNS in these elections."
When will the parliamentary elections be held?
The political persecution continues - until the parliamentary elections. Although Aleksandar Vučić "promised" that the elections for the Assembly of Serbia would be held in 2026, Bursać thinks that he will prolong them as long as he can.
"When I say that there will be elections, people know that there will be elections," Vučić answered in February when asked by a journalist whether the elections would be held at the end of this year.
Bursać says that, after these local votes, he is now almost certain that we will have joint parliamentary and presidential elections.
"SNS obviously has no candidate for president, so he will have to hide behind Vučić as a proposal for prime minister," added Bursać.
Students in blockade: "Numbers are our strength"
Students in the blockade also noticed an increased turnout during the election day, as well as that it shows that the citizens have a "desire for freedom".
"Numbers and togetherness are our strength. A record number of citizens go to the polls despite the pressure and attempts to make the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable. Fear does not prevent us from showing the will of the people! The large turnout clearly bothers them. The citizens do not give up. That is why they raise the tension in several municipalities, try to discourage us and slow down our will to vote. Despite everything, the queues in front of the polling stations are getting longer and longer, and we do not give up. This is the desire for freedom and a fight they cannot control," wrote Students in Blockade during the election day.
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