2022 Serbian general election

General elections were held in Serbia on 3 April 2022 to elect both the president of Serbia and members of the National Assembly. Initially, parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held in 2024; however, in October 2020 president Aleksandar Vučić said that snap parliamentary elections would be held in or before April 2022. In addition to the general elections, local elections were held simultaneously in 12 municipalities and 2 cities, including Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power after the 2012 election when it formed a coalition government with the Socialist Party of Serbia. SNS won a supermajority of seats following the 2020 parliamentary election, which was boycotted by the major opposition Alliance for Serbia coalition that claimed that the election would not be free and fair. Vučić, who was elected president in 2017, faced protests during his first term, most notably during 2018–2020 and in July 2020. The government also oversaw the inter-party dialogues regarding electoral conditions which took place in 2021, while the agreement regarding the conditions between the government and opposition parties was reached in October 2021. Over the course of 2021 and early 2022, environmental protests were also held, reaching a climax in November and December 2021. A constitutional referendum, held in January 2022, was approved by 60 percent of the voters, although the turnout was 30 percent. The campaign period was met with polarisation. Some organisations noted that the ruling party dominated the media, although news channels organised debates and political programme presentations during this period. Candidates concentrated on issues such as fighting against corruption, emphasising the rule of law, as well as issues regarding the economy, environment, and infrastructure. The Republic Electoral Commission confirmed that 19 parliamentary lists and eight presidential candidates registered to participate in the general elections. Vučić won 60 percent of the votes in the first round of the presidential election, while Zdravko Ponoš, the candidate of the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition, placed second. The coalition around SNS lost its majority in the National Assembly, although 12 ballot lists crossed the threshold and entered the National Assembly. Multiple non-governmental organisations noted the occurrence of election irregularities during the election day. According to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, an uneven playing field favoured the incumbents, as they had unbalanced access to the media, pressured public sector employees to support the incumbents, enjoyed significant campaign finance disparities, and misused state resources to bolster their support. Ana Brnabić, who has been the prime minister since 2017, and her cabinet were inaugurated in October 2022.