Serbian populist wins landslide as many parties boycott

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An early official vote count of Serbia’s parliamentary election has confirmed an overwhelming victory for President Aleksandar Vucic’s governing populist party. The state election authorities said Monday after counting more than 60% of the ballots that Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party has won around 61 percent of votes, followed by his ally, the Socialists, with around 10%. A partial boycott by the main opposition parties paved the way for a near-total domination of Vucic’s right-wing party, which is expected to control 190 of parliament’s 250 seats. Sunday’s vote was the first national election in Europe after the coronavirus lockdowns.