Election silence ahead of local polls to begin Thursday midnight

BELGRADE - Election silence ahead of local elections in Belgrade and 66 self-government units across Serbia will begin on Thursday midnight.

It ends on Sunday 8 pm, when polling stations will close.

Publication of estimated election results, public presentations of electoral candidates and programmes as well as public calls to voters to vote or not to vote for certain electoral lists are forbidden during election silence and on election day itself.

In late April, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic called local elections in 66 local self-government units for June 2, when elections for the Belgrade City Assembly and municipal assemblies in the capital will be held as well.

Previously, following an agreement between the ruling majority and the opposition, the Law on Local Elections was amended to allow the Belgrade local elections and the remaining local elections in the country (i.e. local polls that were not held in December) to be held on the same day.

Elections for city assemblies will be held in Valjevo, Vrsac, Zrenjanin, Jagodina, Kikinda, Nis, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Pozarevac, Sombor, Sremska Mitrovica, Subotica, Uzice and Cacak.

Elections for municipal assemblies will take place in Ada, Aleksinac, Alibunar, Apatin, Arilje, Bac, Backa Palanka, Backa Topola, Backi Petrovac, Bela Crkva, Beocin, Becej, Boljevac, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vrbas, Vrnjacka Banja, Gornji Milanovac, Zabalj, Zitiste, Ivanjica, Indjija, Irig, Kanjiza, Kovacica, Kovin, Mali Idjos, Nova Varos, Nova Crnja, Novi Becej, Novi Knezevac, Opovo, Odzaci, Pecinci, Plandiste, Presevo, Raska, Ruma, Svilajnac, Svrljig, Senta, Sjenica, Srbobran, Sremski Karlovci, Stara Pazova, Surdulica, Temerin, Titel, Tutin, Cajetina, Coka and Sid.

The head of the City of Belgrade Interim Authority Aleksandar Sapic has called elections in the capital's 17 urban municipalities - Cukarica, Novi Beograd, Palilula, Rakovica, Savski venac, Stari grad, Vozdovac, Vracar, Zemun, Zvezdara, Barajevo, Grocka, Lazarevac, Mladenovac, Obrenovac, Sopot and Surcin.

Elections for the municipal assemblies of all five municipalities of Nis - Medijana, Palilula, Crveni krst, Pantelej and Niska banja - will also take place on Sunday, with municipal elections in the Pozarevac urban municipality of Kostolac to be held as well.