Serbia's presidential and parliamentary elections explained
Serbia will choose its next president on Sunday, 3 April, during a busy day of democracy that will also see MPs and regional assemblies elected.
Incumbent Aleksandar Vucic has been the dominating political figure since his Serbian Progressive Party managed to form the government after presidential and parliamentary elections in 2012.
He quickly seized the opportunity to reshuffle his party, marginalise political opponents both inside and outside the movement and propel himself from the position of defence minister to prime minister and the president.
Vucic's critics find it difficult to forget he was information minister in the government of Slobodan Milosevic -- accused of genocide and war crimes but who died while awaiting trial -- and deputy chairman of the Serbian Radical Party, known for its ultra-nationalist rhetoric during the wars in former Yugoslavia.
Although he distanced himself from his political past, adopted a pro-European orientation, oversaw Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU, created good ties with Western politicians -- notably Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron -- and made reconciliatory moves in the region, he has often been branded an autocrat and populist because of his uncompromising handling of political opponents.
According to all the polls, he is the most popular politician in the country. This is why it is thought that the outcome of the presidential elections will be reflected in the parliamentary elections and, to a lesser extent, in the voting at the local level.
This is why, his critics say, he made the government resign and call early parliamentary elections to coincide with the presidential ones.
Beyond Vucic, there are seven candidates vying to be Serbia's next president, four of whom
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