Serbians head to polls to cast votes in snap election

Serbians have headed to the polls in elections that will likely see President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling party extend its rule, as he promised stability and vowed to curb inflation after months of protests.

Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has a double-digit lead over the leading opposition coalition, according to the latest poll by Ipsos on Sunday.

But the SNS faces hard-fought municipal races in the capital Belgrade, particularly from the loose coalition of opposition parties and candidates running under the "Serbia Against Violence" banner.

The movement was formed in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings earlier this year that spurred hundreds of thousands to take to the streets. The rallies morphed into anti-government protests that lasted months.

Vucic has repeatedly dismissed his critics and the protests as a foreign plot, warning that Serbia would be directionless without his leadership.

"It's not about me leaving power, but about them destroying everything," he told supporters at a recent rally.

"It would take us 20 years to fix everything... That's why we'll beat them more convincingly than ever."

As polls opened at 7 am local time (0600 GMT), lines had already formed in the capital Belgrade as people waited to cast their ballots.

Call for snap elections

To blunt the hard edges of rising prices ahead of the polls, Vucic unleashed a barrage of state spending — increasing pensions and handing out cash to the elderly.

The president has also vowed to double average monthly salaries in the coming years, while also upping pensions.

He called for snap elections in November, less than two years after the last round of presidential and parliamentary polls, from which he and his SNS party emerged victorious.

Polling stations are set to close at 1900 GMT, with unofficial results due later in the evening.