Elections, energy and relations with the European Union look set to dominate 2026 in Serbia.
Parliamentary elections aren’t due until end-2027, but President Aleksandar Vucic has said repeatedly that voters will go to the polls before 2026 is out, following a year of student-led protests against his rule.
Serbia’s relations with the EU and its prospects of one day joining are unlikely to improve until the results are in.
The students, who have mounted the most significant challenge to Vucic and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, since they came to power in 2012, have been seeking elections since spring 2025.
Who exactly will run against the SNS is unclear, however.
Political scientist Aleksandar Ivkovic, editor of the European Western Balkans website, said elections are unlikely in the first half of the year, and may even come only in 2027, in combination with the regular presidential election that, by law, Vucic is no longer eligible to contest.