Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic on Wednesday called elections for the Belgrade City Assembly for June 2 despite an opposition demand for all local elections to be held on the same date. Pročitaj više

She told reporters that she chose the last day under the law to call the elections. “I decided, at the request of the opposition and the express demand of President Aleksandar Vucic, that the elections should be held at the final deadline in line with the Constitution,” she said.

Brnabic said she tried to start a dialogue with all political players to make sure the coming and future elections would be in order, in line with democratic standards and “to show the seriousness and responsibility we all all the citizens of Serbia”. “My door remains open for dialogue, she said.

She called all political parties and coalitions to make sure the elections are fair and called Belgrade residents to turn out to vote and decide the direction the city should develop in.

The opposition is demanding concurrent local elections in 88 cities and municipalities including Belgrade’s 17 municipalities along with the City Assembly elections. Under the law, those local elections can be held on June 9 at the earliest. In order for them to held a week earlier, as the opposition demanded, the law on local elections needs to be amended. Under that law, elections can be called 120 days before the vote at the earliest but no later than 45 days after the local council’s term in office expires.

The Serbia Against Violence (SPN) and NADA coalitions want the law changed to allow elections to be called no more than 150 days before the vote which would mean that local elections could be called on June 2. The final deadline to change the law is April 18.