• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Friday, January 15, 2021
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Orbanization of Serbia: Vucic’s Path Towards Competitive Authoritarianism

Boban Stojanović and Fernando Casal Bértoa by Boban Stojanović and Fernando Casal Bértoa
04/29/19
in Opinion
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Serbians are finally rising up against President Aleksandar Vucic’s regime. For the last five months, massive protests against his reign, and especially the use of political violence against the opposition, have taken place in the capital Belgrade and across the country.

Serbia’s road towards illiberalism is nothing new. Articles about the celebration of the country’s early 2016 parliamentary and 2017 presidential elections have shown how Serbia’s democracy is progressively deteriorating, and how Vucic’s change from prime minister (more powerful) to president (more figurative) could even lead to the collapse of democracy in Serbia.

Thousands of people from all over Serbia gather in front of the National Assembly building in central Belgrade on April 13, 2019, to protest against Serbian President and to demand free media and fair elections.@AFPphoto #AFP #SviKaoJedan #1od5miliona pic.twitter.com/CtchojfMgg

— Oliver@tweet (@andrei_rublev_) April 14, 2019

While democracy might not have collapsed yet, one thing is certain after seven years of Vucic’s reign characterized by his party’s capture of institutions, media, and the public sector: Serbia is no longer a “defective democracy,” but rather a “competitive authoritarian” one.

Competitive Authoritarian Regimes

In competitive authoritarian regimes, formal democratic institutions are widely accepted as the main means of gaining and fulfilling political will. However, political actors and leaders break the rules so often that the regime fails to fulfill even the minimum democratic standards.

In these regimes, multiparty elections are held on a regular basis, but the rules of the game are not equal for all participants. The media are heavily controlled, public resources are misused, and voters suffer coercion, giving the ruling party an unfair advantage over the opposition.

Following what has been said, and in view of the events of the last four months, Serbia has clearly trespassed the threshold from illiberal democracy to competitive authoritarianism for more than one reason.

Frequent and Constant Threats of Snap Elections

Since the populist conservative Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power in 2012, the country has witnessed early elections twice. Apart from 2014 and 2016 when elections were actually held, no year has passed without SNS continuously threatening to call early elections.

This happened in 2017 when early parliamentary elections were announced alongside presidential ones, and again in 2018 when legislative elections were announced alongside local elections in Belgrade. Even in 2019, SNS already mentioned the possibility of early elections in June.

All these early elections and constant threats of new ones, combined with the consequent suspension and abuse of all other legitimate instruments of indirect participation (such as public debates, petitions, and consultations), pose important limitations to citizen’s activism and their involvement in the decision-making process.

Oppressive Electoral Conditions

Moreover, all electoral campaigns have presented a rather deleterious picture. The government has made partial use of public media, and in many instances, government and party propaganda have become indistinguishable.

There are additional factors that negatively influence electoral conditions and make elections unequal and unfair, such as the use of negative campaigning, including unfounded accusations and personal attacks on political opponents.

On top of this, irregularities at election day (such as violations of ballot secrecy) are tolerated and financial means are used illegally, as publicly recognized, ranging from the consumption of (non-electorally related) public funds to the coercion of public employees.

The high levels of party patronage, coercion of employees, and people who are forced to vote for the ruling party if they do not want to lose their jobs are conspicuous.

Media Capture

The illegal and unfair use of media does not stop at electoral campaigning.

SNS does not only control state-owned media, where the ruling party appears disproportionately more often than the opposition, but is also in charge of several private tabloids that are continuously discrediting the opposition as well as any individual who dares to speak against the ruling party.

Afraid of the consequences derived from opposing Vucic, most national TV stations have become an SNS mouthpiece, broadcasting propaganda destined to discredit an opposition deprived of a voice.

Protestors in Serbia waving a big flag above a crows
Protests have been held weekly since December. Photo: Andrej Isakovic, AFP

SNS’ media voracity is so big that to increase its already strong grip and close the circle, the government has used the public telecommunications company to buy Kopernikus Corporation, the second most important cable operator in the country, which was already owned by a high SNS official. With that money, Kopernicus bought the remaining two national frequency TV stations over which SNS could previously not exert any influence.

Verbal attacks on journalists and any independent media left occur daily, especially against those who investigate corruption scandals or unlawful actions. This goes far: at the end of last year, a local journalist was almost murdered in Belgrade.

Local think tanks and the European Union have repeatedly pointed out these oppressive media conditions, that are typical for competitive authoritarian regimes. Serbia has by far the worst media situation in all Balkans, according to Reporters without Borders.

Institutional Capture

Like it has often been the case in competitive authoritarian regimes, and notwithstanding the change to a less powerful office, Vucic remains not only the leader of the party in and of power, but is also the country’s strongest political figure. Vicuc is the one who is in charge, creates policies, and adopts final decisions.

Although constitutionally still the main legislative power, Serbia’s parliament has completely lost its role. There are almost no discussions during its sessions. One clear example is the approval of the 2019 budget, where the ruling party dragged on to waste time and prevent the opposition from even speaking up. Other state institutions, including the Ombudsman Office and the Anti-Corruption agency, have also witnessed consistent obstructions from the SNS-subordinated government.

As pointed out by several reports by the European Commission and other international organizations, both the rule of law and judicial independence have become very deficient in Serbia.

Political Polarization

Political polarization, including violence, is also on the rise. The attempted murder of oppositional Coalition for Serbia leader Borko Stefanovic during a political debate in November and, especially, opposition leader Oliver Ivanović’s murder in January 2018 were the straws that broke the camel’s back.

Deeply saddened by murder of Oliver Ivanovic in Kosovo today. He certainly had enemies on both sides of the deep divide that he was one of the too few trying to bridge. RIP https://t.co/jsuNgKoIzZ

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) January 16, 2018

It led to constant massive protests all over the country against the government in general and Vucic in particular. The opposition has started to boycott parliamentary sessions, and the idea to extend this boycott to the next parliamentary elections, either later this year or in 2020, is already on the table.

The biggest tragedy of all is that, like in other Central European countries, democratic backsliding in Serbia is taking place under the eyes of the international community.

Due to his cooperation in the Kosovar conflict, Vucic has continuously received support from the West, helping him to create what some have already dubbed a “stabilitocracy.” However, if the United States, and especially the E.U., want to keep any credibility in the region and beyond, they should keep their eyes open and react before it is too late and Serbia turns into another Hungary.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
Boban Stojanović and Fernando Casal Bértoa

Boban Stojanović and Fernando Casal Bértoa

Stojanović is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Belgrade, Serbia (@Radoholicar). Casal Bértoa is Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (@CasalBertoa)

Related Posts

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
World

Britain Holds Crisis Meeting Over Virus Travel Ban

by Staff Writer
December 21, 2020
A man hangs a poster reading 'Congratulations Mr. President' at his bar in Rahovec, Kosovo.
Opinion

The Western Balkans: An Opportunity for Biden to Restore US Foreign Policy

by Visar Xhambazi
December 3, 2020
Leader of Serbian Orthodox Church Dies of COVID-19
World

Leader of Serbian Orthodox Church Dies of COVID-19

by Deon Feng
November 20, 2020
Kosovo's ex-president Hashim Thaci.
World

Kosovo Ex-president Thaci Denies War Crimes at International Court

by Staff Writer
November 9, 2020
Refugees in the Mediterranean
Featured

EU Border Agency Investigates ‘Pushback’ Claims

by Staff Writer
October 27, 2020
COVID-19 Vaccine Research
World

Italy Begins Human Trials of COVID-19 Vaccine

by Alexandra Marquez
August 24, 2020
Next Post
Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook to Fund Research on Social Media Impact on Elections

EU and British flags fly near Westminster, London.

New UK Rules Over Rape Victims' Digital Data Spark Criticism

Recommended

The filing was submitted by Justice Department lawyers on Thursday, January 14.

US Rioters Sought to ‘Capture and Assassinate’ Lawmakers at Capitol: Prosecutors

January 15, 2021
Biden proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Biden Unveils $1.9 Tn Economic Plan as US Recovery Buckles

January 14, 2021
Senegalese soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, July 24, 2019.

UN Peacekeeper Killed in Mali, Seven Wounded: Spokesman

January 13, 2021
President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
People march against climate change in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 13, 2018.

NGOs Accuse France of Climate Inaction in Landmark Court Case

January 13, 2021

Opinion

President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Threatening Democracy: The Choice Between Progress and Extremism Has Never Been So Clear

January 13, 2021
Jake Angeli speaks to a US Capitol Police officer.

American Democracy Will Prevail

January 13, 2021
Pro-Trump protester in front of Capitol Hill.

Riots at Capitol Hill: Darkness Before the Dawn?

January 8, 2021
Volunteers are given the Moderna vaccine on August 5, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan.

Who’s First-in-Line for the Vaccine? A Classic Problem in Medical Ethics

December 30, 2020
A sorghum farmer inspects her small grains crop thriving in the dry conditions in March in the Mutoko rural area of Zimbabwe

The 10-Year Food Systems Revolution Must Start Now

December 22, 2020
Playing the Un-Naming Game in New York Is Harder Than It Seems

Pandenomics: The High Cost of Living While Undocumented in the United States

December 22, 2020
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post