Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday accused an “important country” of interfering in the country’s elections, following a torrent of international condemnation over alleged irregularities during the contest over the weekend.
“I believe that the Serbian authorities are preparing an important letter on the influence and interference of an important country in the electoral process in Serbia,” the president said during a televised appearance, after being asked about Germany’s criticism of the polls.
Vucic said the letter outlining the charges would likely be published in January.
His comments came just days after Germany cited a report by international election monitors about a string of alleged irregularities during the elections, calling the findings “unacceptable” for a country hoping to join the European Union.
The United States also called on Belgrade to address the “concerns” of the election monitors, while the EU said Serbia’s “electoral process requires tangible improvement and further reform”.
Even though Vucic was not personally on the ballot, the parliamentary and local elections were largely seen as a referendum on his government.
Vucic’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) earned roughly 46 percent of votes in the parliamentary elections, while the leading opposition coalition secured 23.5 percent, according to the official results.
The SNS also said it won municipal elections in the capital Belgrade, where the party had faced their stiffest challenge from a loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) banner.
The SPN movement was formed in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings earlier this year, which spurred hundreds of thousands to take to the streets in rallies that morphed into anti-government protests over several months.
Opposition groups have cast doubts over the validity of the contest in the wake of accusations that the government allowed unregistered voters from neighbouring Bosnia to cast ballots illegally in the capital.
Vucic has long advocated Serbia’s admission into the European Union, while also maintaining friendly ties with the Kremlin in Moscow and courting Chinese investment in the country.
