Vucic: Presidential, Parliamentary Elections Will Be Held Separately, Parliamentary Likely First

Dusan Nikezic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Dusan Nikezic, the vice-president of the oppositional Freedom and Justice Party, said on July 9 that President Aleksandar Vucic is employing pre-campaign gimmicks in a bid to salvage his dropping ratings.

“Vucic will first indebt the people of Serbia by another EUR3 billion, and then he will use part of that money to ‘delight all adult citizens with funds that are not from the budget.’ Of course the funds are not from the budget when the [state] budget is empty,” Nikezic said in a press release, referencing the regime’s recent announcements that the public can soon expect some form of financial aid for all adult citizens.

Nikezic went on to state that the true situation with the country’s finances is apparent from the “gaping hole” of RSD100 billion (approximately EUR850 million) in the national budget created within the first five months of 2026, which is 38 percent greater than in the same period of last year.

Vucic’s regime “has earned nothing and has saved nothing,” Nikezic stressed.

“Serbia’s finances are falling apart, while Vucic keeps employing desperate gimmicks to save his ratings, which have suffered a drop due to criminal dealings, the selling off of natural resources and deadly corruption,” the opposition politician concluded.