LOCAL PRESS

Vucic, McCain: Talks in three directions (B92)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has stated that he talked with US Senator Joh McCain in three directions. “Firstly, this is maintaining peace and stability in the region. Secondly, these are our bilateral relations. Thirdly, Serbia’s participation in global flows and our stands on important issues in the world,” Vucic told a press conference in Belgrade following the meeting with McCain. “We talked about the fact that we will invest a lot of time and strength in maintaining peace, about our efforts to resume the dialogue in Brussels as soon as possible, as well as about building relations with Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania in the best possible manner,” said Vucic. He said that he and McCain also discussed peacekeeping operations, Serbia’s EU path, and mutual relations between the two countries, exercises and activities. “We had eight joint exercises in 2016; six or seven are envisaged in 2017, and over hundred joint activities. This is very fair cooperation,” said Vucic. He noted that he reiterated to McCaine that Serbia doesn’t want to join any military pact. McCain and Stefanovic attend joint exercise (Radio Belgrade)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and US Senator Joh McCain attended in Belgrade a joint exercise of members of the Serbian Interior Ministry’s Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Slovenian Army Special Units. The aim of the exercise is capacity building in the fight against terrorism through exchange of experiences and practice, the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Vucic urges Pristina and Brussels to resume dialogue (RTS/Beta)

Reacting to a comment by Kosovo MP Daut Haradinaj, the brother of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo leader, Ramush Haradinaj, that not a single Serb would remain in Kosovo if his brother was extradited, Vucic said that one warrant for arrest, issued for the most severe crime, could not be a reason to threaten the survival of a people. “Daut Haradinaj is not a naive man. Nor are his threats,” Vucic said. Speaking at a press conference, after receiving children from the Kosovo-Pomoravlje District, Vucic referred to threats of Kosovo Albanians and said that that is why he would suggest to the Albanian side to resume dialogue as soon as possible in Brussels or elsewhere. He reiterated that it is important to calm tensions and not to provoke new tensions, not to threaten anyone and expel people from their homes, and it is important to avoid any incident. For me it would be easier today to respond to offences and threats, but it is more important to do something to stabilize the situation, keep peace and talk about everything that are our crucial problems, he stated. One arrest warrant, one investigation, one indictment for the most serious crimes cannot be a motive enough for someone to threaten an entire nation that they will be exterminated, Vucic warned regarding the threats from the family of Ramush Haradinaj that there will be no Serbs left in Kosovo and Metohija if he is extradited to Serbia. That is inadmissible. The state of Serbia or any other country in the world cannot understand that and those threats deserve the greatest and the harshest condemnation, the Prime Minister underlined. Before the press conference, Vucic received in the Serbian government children from Kosovo and Metohija, from the Kosovo-Pomoravlje district, with whom he talked and gave them presents.He received the pupils of schools in Kosovo in the room where the sessions of the Serbian government are held.More than 40 children from the Kosovo-Pomoravlje district who attend elementary schools in the Kosovska Kamenica municipality are on visit to Belgrade.

Djuric condemns Haradinaj’s threats (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric most harshly condemned the threats by Daut Haradinaj. Djuric requested international representatives and institutions to condemn verbal violence against the Serbs, which is always, as he put it, the first step towards more serious plots. “I think it is necessary to create in Kosovo and Metohija an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect, and not hatred and instigation of violence,” said Djuric.

Rikalo: Request submitted for Serb List to be registered as party (RTS)

Nenad Rikalo, member of the Kosovo Central Electoral Commission (CIK) said that the CIK had received requests by two presidents of the Serb List Civic Initiative, Slavko Simic and Aleksandar Jablanovic, for the list to be reregistered as a political party.

According to Rikalo, Simic was the first to submit the reregistration motion on Friday, with 1,650 signatures, and that later Aleksandar Jablanovic submitted a similar request with 500 signatures. Rikalo said that both requests would be reviewed, and that the decision on the possible reregistration would be passed within 30 days.“If both proposals satisfy the legal normal, priority will be given to the one who submitted the request first,” Rikalo said.

Gojkovic: Protests are political (Tanjug/TV Pink)

Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic has stated that the protests on the streets of Belgrade are exclusively political. “I ask the organizers not to be ashamed of being organizers, to register the gathering so this could be well organized and so we know when it begins and when it ends and what routes will be taken. If something happens, right now it is unknown who would be held responsible for that, while the Serbian Interior wouldn’t know with whom to communicate,” Gojkovic told TV Pink. “I wouldn’t be surprised for demands to be presented these days for elections to be completely abolished, for anybody who wants to rule in Serbia, who reaches sooner some social network, who has nothing else to do and quickly registers to become the president of the state, parliament speaker, to create a majority on the streets, and not like in all democratic countries, since obviously the will of citizens represents nothing for some politicians,” she says.

Gojkovic also announced that MPs will soon start working, which, as she puts it, she hardly waits since Vucic proposed good laws that will improve the status of Serbian families, future mothers…”

Jankovic’s staff announce criminal charges (Beta/Danas)

Sasa Jankovic’s electoral staff announced on Sunday evening criminal charges against unidentified persons and all members of the polling committees at a number of polling stations where irregularities in the presidential elections were determined. Vesna Rakic Vodinelic explained that that the ballots that the RIK counted in front of the cameras had previously been in a box with unused ballots, which no one had paid attention to. “I express serious suspicion that the number of votes that were counted today could have been modified in a way,” said Vesna Rakic Vodinelic. She said that the cameras in the great hall of the Serbian parliament recorded their repeated counting of the votes, and that at today’s RIK session she entered a motion for the material to be made public, which was turned down.

Police, army trade unions rally with students (Beta)

Army and police trade unions protested poor living standards in the security sector and rallied for more than four hours in Belgrade, on April 8, which was supported by young people who have been protesting the results of a Serbian presidential vote on April 2 for seven days now.The rally, which the police said had brought together 10,000 people, and reporters have put the number at least 15,000, passed without incident. “The Protest Against Dictatorship”, as these gatherings have been dubbed by their still unknown organizers, could continue on Monday with a rally in front of the seat of the Presidency of Serbia – judging by one of the banners displayed on Sunday.  Earlier, the protesters announced that they wanted members of the Electoral Commission (RIK) members, the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, RTS editors, and parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic all sacked. The sorting of voter rolls to establish the exact number of voters is another demand, and for the first time the demand for the annulment of the false doctoral theses of high-ranking officials Nebojsa Stefanovic and Sinisa Mali.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H HoR could discuss Law on Excise Duties in urgent procedure (BHT 1)

B&H House of Representatives (HoR) could discuss changes to the Law on Excise Duties in urgent procedure at beginning of this week. After B&H House of Peoples (HoP) adopted the law on Friday, B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) adopted the corrected version of the law. B&H HoR Speaker Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) expressed hope that there will be political will for adoption of the law adding that he is ready to endorse it. The Alliance for Changes (SzP) announced that they will not endorse the law. After Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik (SNSD) said that B&H HoR will discuss the law in urgent procedure this week, Deputy Speaker B&H HoR Mladen Bosic (SDS) wondered how Dodik knows that and added that it is clear that Dodik has some agreement with SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic. RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that she believes that the Law on Excises will be adopted in several days. She said that the set of laws which define the arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should have been adopted a long time ago and added that it was unnecessary to wait until the final deadline. State MP Dusanka Majkic (SNSD) said on the phone that she expects the law to be discussed in B&H HoR on Monday or Tuesday. Independent MP Senad Sepic said that he will endorse the law under certain conditions. State MP Damir Becirovic (DF) said the opposition is against the increase of fuel price, because it would trigger chain of price hikes. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the adoption of the law is a condition for continuation of the loan arrangement.

EUSR Wigemark: Political culture in B&H is very crisis-oriented (Face TV)

The Head of the EU Delegation to B&H and EU Special Representative (EUSR) in B&H, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark commented the current situation in B&H, and said that it is important for the so-called civil society in B&H to stand behind their stances and what they believe in. He believes that citizens in B&H are afraid of what might happen if protests take place. Wigemark pointed out that the ideal way is to find solutions through other means but sometimes it is necessary to peacefully voice one’s opinion in public. The EUSR warned that the citizens should not be underestimated. He said that there are “two sorts of almost psychological features”, namely fear of possible armed conflicts and lack of trust between different ethnic groups, political leaders and parties. According to Wigemark, it seems as if B&H is constantly heading from one crisis into another, whether it is the referendum on the Day of the RS, revision of the ruling in the case of B&H’s genocide lawsuit against Serbia or some other issue. He stressed that a lot of political energy is being wasted on these issues while nervousness and anxiousness are generally not good because B&H will be perceived as a risky area. He said that “political culture in B&H is very crisis-oriented” and politicians feel more comfortable focusing on crises and constitutional and legal issues than on creation of new jobs.

Door of Europe are open for Dodik (EuroBlic)

EuroBlic daily papers carried the interview with UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson. Asked to comment on US’ sanctions against President of Repulika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik; the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs replied by saying that the UK shares concerns which forced the US to impose sanctions against Dodik. “Unconstitutional referendum last year in the RS was deliberate attempt to undermine the rule of law and the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). For now, we and our European partners have decided to leave the door open for President Dodik to go back to more constructive path, and we hope that he will do that,” Johnson said. Commenting on Dodik’s statements about possible referendum on secession kkf the RS, Johnson said that all members of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) agree that “entities exist only as part of B&H and have no right to secede”. “Referendum on unilateral secession of the RS would be unconstitutional and would represent violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. I think that we, your political leaders and their international partners have to concentrate on what is really important: jobs, economy, standard of living and prevention of departure of young people”, Johnson explained. Asked to say if membership in the EU would be the best possible solution for B&H, especially considering the fact that the UK is now preparing to leave the EU, Johnson said that “there is a strong support to membership in the EU in the entire B&H”. “The process of EU accession is the basis for achieving security, stability and prosperity of B&H. We have been supporting B&H on its European path for more than 20 years and we will continue doing so after Brexit as well”, he concluded. The UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs added that the UK’s dedication and policy towards B&H will not change even when the UK is no longer a member of the EU. “We are the permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of the signatories of the DPA, and we take those responsibilities very seriously.

Radoncic: Izetbegovic should leave political scene (Nezavisne novine)

SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic expressed hope that the common sense will prevail, and that the set of laws related to excise duties will be adopted after all. Commenting on political crisis in B&H, Radoncic said that leaders in the country are focused on mutual animosities and conflicts, and have completely forgotten about economy, employment, big infrastructural projects and other issues of interest to citizens. “I think that we have to resolve some strategic issues, such as the ruling of the court in Strasbourg in ‘Sejdic-Finci’ case, and I think that leaders should look in the mirror and see what they can do in the interest of B&H, if they even care about B&H, and I am afraid that some of them honestly do not care about B&H,” Radoncic said. When asked to say the names of those leaders, Radoncic mentioned only SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, “sultan or vizier who has been ruling the country for 27 years, either from his own or from his father’s chair”. “He should be thinking about leaving the political scene, in order to make room for new, healthy, pro-European and pro-western forces in Bosniak political space”, Radoncic said, adding that those new forces should realize that “Bosniaks are European people, not Turkish pendant”. SBB B&H leader underlined that Bakir Izetbegovic is not the only person responsible for crisis in B&H, adding – however – that Izetbegovic is the “most transparently lost person, who is looking for conflict with everyone: with coalition partners, with politicians in the region, with his own party, Radoncic said. Asked to say if coalition between SDA and SBB B&H still exists, Radoncic briefly said that it does, but as a technical coalition which includes other parties as well. “That coalition became technical the very moment someone staged political process against me and when Mr. Izetbegovic lied to Bosniak public and victims of genocide that our, in other words his agent before the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Sakib Softic, has adequate legitimacy. Coalition with someone who is inclined to lying can only be a technical one, and for how long will he remain at the helm of SDA and for how long will SDA allow him to do the things he has been doing to them – it is a matter of that party, and I do not want to interfere,” Radoncic concluded.

Cerar: Slovenia strongly advocate Euro-Atlantic integration of B&H (Dnevni avaz)

Prime Minister of Slovenia Miro Cerar, who is arriving to Sarajevo today for the first official visit to B&H, gave a brief interview for Dnevni avaz, speaking about relations of the two countries, European road of B&H and the issue of the old foreign currency saving. He emphasized that relations of B&H and Slovenia are very friendly and that the countries are intensively cooperating in various sectors, particularly in strengthening of economic cooperation. “We would like to continue that cooperation. Meetings at the highest level are important for the countries that have good relations,” Cerar stressed, adding that he would like to strengthen the cooperation of the two governments. Asked what will be topics of the meetings with B&H officials, he replied that the meetings will discuss various topics but that the focus will be on bilateral relations, economic cooperation and the issue of succession. As for process of reforms in B&H, he noted that the meetings will also discuss this matter as well as the progress that B&H made on Euro-Atlantic integration road. “In any case, we will focus the attention on situation in the Western Balkans region, where political situations and relations between two countries remain delicate,” he concluded. Speaking about European road of B&H, Cerar emphasized that his country strongly advocate road of B&H towards Euro-Atlantic integration and it also offers full political support and assistance of Slovenian experts. “It is important for B&H to continue social and economic reforms, and that requires participation of all levels of authority in the country. The EU perspective refers to B&H as an integral and sovereign country. We welcome the visible progress that your country made over the past year,” he concluded.

McCain meets with high-ranking officials of Croatia (HRT)

US Senator John McCain paid a visit to Croatia on Sunday, upon the invitation from Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. During their meeting, the two officials agreed that the US administration should stay focused on this part of the world. McCain also held a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in Dubrovnik, at which the two officials discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, their future cooperation as well as energy security. They also discussed the security challenges such as the fight against terrorism and cooperation within NATO, which McCain assessed as highly necessary. McCain noted that cooperation between the USA and Croatia is at its best, adding that they closely cooperate in terms of military-related issues as well. Among other things, he also underlined that the USA should intensify its engagement in this region, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plenkovic said that they also discussed the current situation in South East Europe, among other areas, and stressed the importance of being informed about the policy of a new administration of the USA. McCain’s visit to Croatia is part of his tour to Central and South East Europe, by which the USA wants to support its allies and partners in these regions.

Montenegro ordered Nikic’s extradition (Pobjeda)

Ministry of Justice of Montenegro sent over the documentation to the Russian government ordering extradition of Ananije Nino Nikic, charged in the attempted terrorist attack on October 16th case, Pobjeda daily reports. Nikic has been remanded and he will spend 40 days in jail. He was arrested in Rostov region on international warrant issued by NCB Interpol Podgorica. According to Montenegrin investigators, Nikic left Montenegro on November 9th last year. Slavko Nikic, former Serbian intelligence officer, claimed that he was offered to be part of the criminal group by Ananije Nino Nikic, who approached him with one FSB agent, probably Vladimir Popov. Montenegro is also looking for Eduard Shishmakov, member of GRU. They are believed to be key organizers of the criminal group. The investigation includes 21 individuals, leaders of DF Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic among them.

Boskovic: Russia is in a continuous attack on Montenegro (CDM)

Russia’s attack is still ongoing in Montenegro, said Minister of Defense Predrag Boskovic commenting on the attempted terrorist attack on October 16th. Boskovic said that there will be indictments on April 15th. “25 individuals are set to be indicted,” he added. Boskovic said that there were no doubts “that certain security structures of Russia, GRU firstly, are behind these attacks”. He said that the US President Donald Trump will sign the Accession Protocol soon, and that Montenegro hopes to become a member of NATO in May. “It depends on complicated procedures in Netherlands, it is still unclear whether they will manage to ratify by the Summit on 25 May,” Boskovic said. Montenegro’s membership in NATO will send a message of peace and stability in the Balkans, and it will give further encouragement for expansion in this region. Commenting on public surveys on support to NATO, Boskovic said that Montenegro had elections in October that had a main point of NATO membership. “Close to 60% of MPs in the Parliament are those that are looking forward to NATO membership,” Boskovic said.

Gjorcev: SDSM cannot prevent the remaining MPs from discussions (Meta)

SDSM has no grounds to revoke the rights of the remaining 45 MPs in the Macedonian parliament to speak on an item from the agenda just because SDSM doesn’t like their discussions, said VMRO-DPMNE MP Vlatko Gjorcev, at the party’s press conference. He accused SDSM of wanting to break the Rules and Regulations. “The attempt by SDSM to violate the Rules and Regulations of parliament is to stop the debate regarding the Tirana platform. At any cost, SDSM wants to silence MPs so they cannot speak about the harmful consequences of the Tirana platform which they have accepted and in the long-term, want to redefine the country. That is why SDSM is going against the Rules and Regulations and wants to the end the debate which is taking place at this moment in Parliament. In accordance with Article 80, Paragraph 2 of the Rules and Regulations, it is clear that the hearing will last as long as the list of MPs who have signed up to speak will. And this cannot be violated under any condition or because of the political desires of one party, one MP or one group,” said Gjorcev. He said SDSM has no grounds to prevent the remaining 45 MPs from speaking.

Gruevski: There will be a serious reaction if SDSM attempts to violate the Rules and Regulations (Meta)

VMRO-DPMNE will respond severely and appropriately if SDSM attempt to violate the Rules and Regulations of Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia to appoint a parliament speaker, and the public will not take this sitting down, said today the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Nikola Gruevski. “If SDSM decides to enter a scenario which is unjust, illegal, undemocratic and takes an unruly approach in parliament, they should know that VMRO-DPMNE will react sharply, and they should expect a serious reaction from the people of Macedonia, especially after what we have seen in recent days. It would be a huge mistake by SDSM to disrupt the democracy and stability of the country,” Gruevski told reporters. The leader of VMRO-DPMNE added that the public are aware, they know what is happening and have seen the obligations Zaev and SDSM have adopted, and that is why the people are protesting on a daily basis for 40 days.

“I warn Zoran Zaev not to play with the democracy in Macedonia and the general public, because this country is not his, it belongs to the people. He cannot make deals behind the people’s back , or arrange scenarios and platforms from foreign countries after the elections, especially after he spent the electoral period lying to the people that he would not accept a binational state, cantonization….. Once he lied to the people, telling them that it was all in my head and that I was the one making this all up during the electoral campaign, two weeks after the elections, Zaev came out and began to reveal things he had negotiated and for who he assumed these obligations,” said Gruevski, emphasizing that Zaev should not expect the people and VMRO-DPMNE to take this sitting down.

If necessary, the MOI is prepared to defend Parliament (Meta)

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) are monitoring the situation and if there is a violation of public order and peace, we are prepared to react, said MOI to Meta news agency, regarding recent statement of a possible forced entry into parliament. “The Ministry of Interior has established operational headquarters in the field. If such a breach of public disorder does occur, the Ministry of Interior is prepared to act”, said the MOI in reply to our question whether the increased level of security around parliament is because of these statements. In recent days, outside parliament, one could hear the message, “The people put you on those parliamentary benches, and the people can remove you from them”, and that “hundreds of thousands of people are ready to take justice into their own hands.” Media outlets that openly support VMRO-DPMNE, have started publishing articles which pervades military rhetoric and mentions “citizens voluntarily mobilizing”, “people’s brigades” and that “civil society groups in a short time will react with all means necessary to prevent the usurpation of institutions.”

Political crisis, Basha meeting with former Socialist MP (ADN)

The leader of the opposition, Lulzim Basha, had a meeting on Saturday with the former socialist MP, Koco Kokedhima. The last unveiled for the media after the meeting that it was for the political crisis and to find the ways of dialogue in order to stop it. “We discussed about the political crisis and the necessity to and it as soon as possible. The actual political crisis has a negative impact in economy and the only way to solve it is through dialogue. We also discussed about the future Parliamentary Elections and the electoral reform,” said Kokedhima. Former socialist MP has created recently a political movement called “The Solution”.

PS-PD attempts for dialogue, Bylykbashi letter to PM staff (ADN)

The tentative for dialogue between the socialists and democrats is becoming more serious. Democrat MP, Oerd Bylykbashi, is appointed as the negotiator from the opposition to contact with the Prime Minister staff and define the modalities of the meeting between the two leaders. He has sent an official letter to Rama’s staff for the modalities of the meeting, not what they will talk about. But according to Bylykbashi, there was no response by the office of the Prime Minister.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

NATO official hopes Serbia-Kosovo tensions will ease after vote (Reuters, by Andrea Shalal, 9 April 2017)

COLOGNE, GERMANY – The overwhelming victory of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia’s presidential election on April 2 could help stabilize the country, a top U.S. and NATO military officer said.

Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, told Reuters she hoped “engineered provocations” between Kosovo and Serbia in recent months would calm down now that the election was over. “Now that we’re through the election, perhaps the national leaders will refocus on their own countries and govern. That’s my hope,” Howard, who also commands U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, said in an interview late on Saturday after an event hosted by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. Howard said the region remained an area of concern for the U.S. military and NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo after intervening in 1999 to stop Serbia’s killings of ethnic Albanian civilians in a counter-insurgency campaign. She said Vucic, the outgoing prime minister, had run for president on a promise to keep the country moving on a path toward European Union accession, which also required a demonstration of economic stability. “If he’s serious, then I think that is helpful for the country,” Howard said. “As you meet all that criteria, I can only imagine that it’s helpful for … establishing stability and security of (Serbia).” If Vucic makes good his vow to continue moving toward EU membership, then Serbia would remain “balanced between Russian influence and the rest of southeast Europe”, Howard said.

Thousands of students and other protesters, who see Vucic as an autocrat, rallied in Belgrade last week to protest at his victory and what they see as a fraudulent election. Although his new post will be largely ceremonial, Vucic is expected to maintain his grip on power through his Serbian Progressive Party and to continue a balancing act between the West and Russia, a Orthodox Christian and Slavic ally. Howard said she found it astonishing how tense relations still were between Serbia and the ethnic Albanian-majority government in Kosovo nearly two decades after the war.

Serbia continues to regard Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, as a renegade province. “Every time I talk to someone who’s from that region, they just remind me that grievances run deep in this part of the world, that the dead get buried but the grievance does not,” Howard said. “It’s a very complex environment.”

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Mark Heinrich)

A Serbian Election Erodes Democracy (The New York Times, by the editorial board, 9 April 2017)

With Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s decisive victory in the presidential election on April 2, Serbia has edged closer to autocracy. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial, Mr. Vucic can now handpick his successor as prime minister and consolidate his power, since Parliament and the judiciary are all but locked up by Mr. Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party. Having severely curtailed press freedom and marginalized political opposition, his concentration of power bodes ill for Serbian democracy. Though Mr. Vucic won more than 50 percent of the vote, far surpassing the second-place candidate, Sasa Jankovic, who won a little over 16 percent, the election was marred by accusations of voter intimidation and a near total domination of Serbia’s media by Mr. Vucic and his party. It speaks volumes about many Serbians’ cynicism that Luka Maksimovic, a 25-year-old student who ran — initially as a joke — under the pseudonym of Ljubisa “Beli” Preletacevic — a name that alludes to someone who switches political parties for personal gain — won 9 percent of the vote. But Serbians’ political disaffection goes beyond cynicism.

Every day since the election, thousands of protesters, mostly young, have turned out in the streets of Belgrade, blowing whistles and brandishing banners with slogans such as “Down with dictatorship” and “Vucic, you stole the election.” Mr. Vucic boasts that the fact that the government hasn’t cracked down on the protests “is a sign of democracy.” Given the hideous repression of public protest in many autocratic states, he has a point — or, perhaps he simply doesn’t view whistling students to be much of a threat now that the election is over.

In any case, Mr. Vucic could show a commitment to democracy by restoring freedom of the press, allowing access by the public to dissenting views and independent sources of information, and ordering an independent investigation of allegations of voter intimidation with a promise any involved will be punished.

European leaders who see in strongmen such as Mr. Vucic a force for stability — and who hope Mr. Vucic will make good on his promise to keep Serbia on track to join the European Union even as Russia’s influence in the Balkans grows — must avoid the temptation to look the other way as Mr. Vucic and his allies seize monopoly control over the country’s political institutions and its press.

To accede to such control by Mr. Vucic would be a betrayal of the European Union’s core values, and of the many Serbians who look to the European Union as a beacon of democratic rights and freedoms at a time when Eastern and Central European leaders are turning their backs on democracy.