CeSID: Boycott of Belgrade Election Could Cost Opposition and Regime Dearly

Bojan Klacar (Photo: Milos Miskov)

The Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) executive director, Bojan Klacar, has said that the announced Belgrade local election boycott by the opposition over electoral conditions, could cost both, the regime and the opposition dearly, noting that this “has left the door for making compromise ajar.”

Speaking to the April 5 issue of Belgrade daily Blic, Klacar said that potential boycott of Belgrade elections would tarnish the regime’s image with international partners, who were expecting to see tensions reduced, while on the other hand, the opposition would have to boycott all local votes which would have several negative consequences.

“Firstly, the opposition would be faced with the revolt of local leaders as it would mean giving up on some ten municipalities in Serbia, including the capital city, where opposition parties could win a majority or collect a solid portion of votes. Secondly, skipping two election cycles would mean destroying the infrastructure. And thirdly, a boycott could provoke cracks and derailments in the opposition ranks as local leaders could ignore it and decide to run in elections,” Klacar specified.