"Let it echo through the skies — SNS meets its demise!" chanted citizens on the streets of two Serbian towns, Zajecar and Kosjeric, after polls closed in local elections on Sunday evening.

They were convinced that after 13 years of rule by the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), change was about to happen.

"May the Serbian people experience freedom the way we are feeling it tonight in Kosjeric," declared Slavica Pantovic, the opposition candidate for municipal president.

But then, just a few hours later, the ruling SNS declared victory.

"We managed to win because the people chose the state. You can shout, block the streets, but when we step behind the curtain, we vote for our country — not against it," said President Aleksandar Vucic.

First election since Novi Sad

For the past month, all eyes in Serbia have been on Zajecar and Kosjeric.

These were the first elections to be held in Serbia since the collapse last November of the canopy at the entrance to Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people.

The tragedy, which is widely seen by Serbian citizens as the result of deep-seated corruption, sparked months of protests that have put increasing pressure on populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

'We won't let you steal the votes'

Preliminary results show that the SNS won 27 seats in Zajecar compared to the opposition's 23, and 14 seats to the opposition's 13 in Kosjeric.

But the opposition refuses to acknowledge the outcome, and it is possible that there will be a recount in both towns.

"We won't let you steal the votes. You'll have to explain every bag, every sheet of paper — even the ones you've stolen," said Ugljesa Djurickovic of the opposition list Change We Believe In in Zajecar on election night.

The opposition leaders in both towns are backed by students who have already organized post-election protests in Kosjeric to "defend the will of the people." The students also announced that they would monitor any recount closely.

"If necessary, we'll call all of Serbia — and there won't be enough room here for everyone. We're defending the electoral will, because Kosjeric is free," said student Milica Maksimovic at a protest on Sunday.

NGO claims election irregularities

The monitoring mission of the NGO Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) has claimed that there were serious irregularities in the election.

Indeed, the CRTA's assessment after the polls was unequivocal: "These elections do not reflect the free will of the citizens."

According to the CRTA report, problems began during the campaign itself, which the center says was marred by the misuse of public resources and violence.

The center also says that there were numerous irregularities on election day itself.

"These include the illegal presence of third parties at polling stations, suspicious gatherings near polling sites, vote-buying, parallel records being kept in and outside polling stations in connection with vote-buying, individuals who were not on the voter list attempting to vote, the photographing of ballots, voting without identification, and threats to and pressure on observers," CRTA's program director Rasha Nedeljkov told a press conference.

Tension and unease

Students, citizens and opposition politicians were also active on the ground in Zajecar, claiming that they were "defending the electoral will."

They told of "Bulgarian trains" (a form of vote-buying to rig elections) and the organized transportation of voters from other areas, parallel voter lists and direct vote-buying.

"In a village called Salac, about 30 kilometers from Zajecar, there were about 1,600 thugs with metal rods. At Josif Pancic Primary School, they were bused in — in large buses, minibuses — they were carrying in and out bags, people filmed it and reported it immediately," Maja Djinovic, who had come to Kosjeric from Belgrade to support the opposition, told DW.

The atmosphere in both towns on election day was extremely tense and seemed to be on the verge of confrontation. Citizens reported the presence of unknown individuals they suspected of being thugs.

A large police presence further heightened the tension.

"I was terrified by how much police and gendarmerie there were. Why? There's no violence, no threats — we just want a better future for this town," one Zajecar resident told DW.

'A shift has taken place in society'

The atmosphere surrounding the elections in Zajecar and Kosjeric clearly reflects the unequal conditions under which elections in Serbia are held, political scientist Dusan Spasojevic told DW.

Spasojevic also pointed out that these two local elections reveal changes in the structure of the electorate and the strength of the opposition.

"One important takeaway from these elections is the realization that there is now an articulated bloc made up of students, citizens, the opposition and civil society — which is now relatively equal to the ruling bloc and capable of competing with them in elections," said Spasojevic.

"That shows that a certain shift has taken place in society, but it's not as large as some opposition supporters believe, who think Vucic's approval has collapsed after the recent crisis," he said.

Can the opposition defeat the ruling SNS?

After the elections, students reiterated their demand for early parliamentary elections. They believe this could be the opportunity to push the SNS into opposition.

But how realistic is that now?

"What we saw on election night — both sides declaring victory — is probably the same scenario we'll see after the next parliamentary elections. In other words, both sides will go into the elections hoping that their win will be significant enough that it can't be challenged. Will that happen? Probably not, but that's the political reality here, and I don't think it will change much," said Spasojevic.

Will an early parliamentary election be called?

After claiming victory in both elections, how likely is it that the president will call an early election?

So far, the ruling party has rejected the idea, claiming there is no reason for an early poll.

President Aleksandar Vucic has previously stated that elections will be held, but not for another year and a half.

"Once the preparations for EXPO are complete, I'll call early elections. And in those elections, I'm afraid they've made a big mistake. I used to think the odds were even, but not anymore. We will defeat them — convincingly," Vucic said confidently.

EXPO is due to take place in Belgrade from May to August 2027, which would mean that elections could be almost two years away.

Impact on other elections in Serbia

Following the local elections in Kosjeric and Zajecar, SNS leader and former prime minister Milos Vucevic stated that not only are early parliamentary elections uncertain, but the party may reconsider holding upcoming local elections as well, accusing the opposition and students of creating a near-conflict atmosphere.

"In this kind of atmosphere, we won't go to elections — not in Negotin, not in Mionica. What happened now should never happen again," Vucevic said.

Political scientist Dusan Spasojevic, however, believes that elections are the only viable way forward.

"Maybe they're not the solution to the crisis, but they're a step toward resolving it. We saw, based on the police presence yesterday and the incidents that occurred, that this crisis cannot resolve itself under the current political and social conditions," he said.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan