Serbia is heading to the polls, again. On Sunday, the country will vote to elect a new national parliament and several local assemblies, including in the hotly-contested capital Belgrade.
This is the seventh time President Aleksandar Vučić has taken his country to the polls since he was first elected in 2012, and the fourth consecutive time he has called elections early. Vučić has developed a habit of holding elections every two years, and he has honed his techniques for winning. With his Serbian Progressive party (SNS) set to win again, what’s his secret?
As elsewhere in the Balkans, Serbia’s rulers depend on a political patronage system to maintain power.