Voters in Serbia expect more progress towards EU membership

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbian voters on Sunday told Anadolu Agency that they expect the country's next government to make progress towards the EU with a balanced policy.

Anadolu Agency spoke to voters in the capital Belgrade about their expectations for the next administration that will take office in the country.

Noting that many young Serbians have immigrated to EU countries, Dragan Markovic voiced hope that the country joins the bloc in the "near future."

"This is a necessary milestone for us to be able to go to our children," he said.

Another resident of the capital, Jelena Nela Solar, said there was still a long way for Serbia to become an EU member.

"I think it's a long way off. Practically speaking, this won't be possible without accepting certain conditions that we would never want to accept," said Solar.

Regardless, Serbia will still need to work towards EU membership, Sara Zeljkovic said.

"I think it is necessary to work for progress," she added.

Serbians headed to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president, members of the country's 250-seat parliament and local authorities.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time and closed at 8 p.m. (0500GMT to 1800GMT).

Parliamentary elections were supposed to be held in 2024 but President Aleksandar Vucic announced in October 2020 that snap parliamentary polls would be held in or before April 2022.

Besides the general elections, local elections were held in 12 municipalities and two cities, including Belgrade.

Around 6.5 million eligible voters cast their ballots to elect the members of the National Assembly, the unicameral parliament.

A total of 126 seats are needed for a majority in the assembly.

Meanwhile, eight candidates competed in the presidential election.

Local elections were held in Belgrade and the city of Bor.

Voters also cast ballots for the municipalities of Arandjelovac, Smederevska Palanka, Lucani, Knjazevac, Medvedja, Bajina Basta, Doljevac, Kula, Kladovo, Majdanpek, Secanj, and Sevojno.