Serbia reruns Belgrade vote marred by fraud

BELGRADE

Nearly six months after a string of irregularities and accusations of fraud marred local polls in the Serbian capital, Belgrade on June 2 will hold a new round of voting in municipal elections.

President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is heading into the contest with momentum, while the opposition camp has been struggling in recent months to remain united.

The loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates that ran under the "Serbia Against Violence" banner during elections in December proved a tough competitor to the SNS and its coalition partners in Belgrade.

The capital city remained an outlier in the contest, which saw the SNS and its allies secure a commanding victory during parliamentary polls held on the same day.

The opposition secured 43 out of the 110 seats in the Belgrade municipal council compared to the 49 won by the SNS.

But after weeks negotiating, the SNS was unable to form a city government and a fresh round of elections were announced in March.

Following December's elections, a team of international observers slammed the contest over a string of "irregularities," including "vote buying" and "ballot box stuffing," after the opposition accused the ruling party of committing voter fraud.

Thousands subsequently rallied in front of government offices in a series of protests that rattled the capital for weeks.

Serbia's top court rejected an opposition move to have the vote annulled.