Buying Time

Protest in Belgrade on March 15 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Even though the regime spearheaded by Aleksandar Vucic has been increasingly aggressive toward its opponents, the political and social crisis in Serbia almost certainly won’t be resolved before the next election, and whether it will be resolved even then is also questionable. Vucic keeps refusing to call the snap election the rebelling citizens are demanding – because he is not sure he would win it. That way, he is “buying time” – trying to postpone the polls because he expects future developments to be in his favor, but also because he believes he will be able to bring about a more favorable outcome for the ruling parties.