In Bosnia and Herzegovina, extraordinary elections for the president of the Republika Srpska entity must be held within 90 days. Milorad Dodik is threatening to hold a referendum, even though it carries no legal weight. In Serbia, students and citizens are demanding early elections, but President Aleksandar Vučić rejects the idea.
Elections in democratic countries are a means to change the government – one of the most important political events in any society. In most places, the outcome is uncertain until the votes are counted. In much of the Western Balkans, however, the result is often predictable, because what matters most is not who votes, but who counts the votes.
On PERSPEKTIVA, young people have been saying for years that elections are a farce and that they have no motivation to participate. Neven from Belgrade and Emin from Tuzla expressed that sentiment back in 2021.
“For me, one freedom I don’t have is that in these so-called democratic elections, we witness merely the recycling of all possible previous regimes.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-sa-mladima-u-beogradu—prva-epizoda/31138143.html
“When it comes to elections, this year or any other, I can’t make any real change no matter who I vote for. We live in a climate where who counts the votes is more important than who we voted for. This deep mistrust isn’t about a lack of desire for change, but about knowing that, every time we sit down for coffee, we’ll hear the same stunned reaction: ‘It’s the same people again,’ and we all despise them equally.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WRCDk661gM&ab_channel=RadioSlobodnaEvropa
The method of staying in power remains the same: divide and rule, invent enemies, and rally voters around the flag. Mahir from Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022 and Iva from North Macedonia in 2024 observed the following:
“It’s constant warmongering. As the elections approach, we hear the same story that’s been repeated for 30 years.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-sff-proslost-suocavanje/32017860.html
“A so-called ‘stupid’ person, in slang, is easy to control, easy to manipulate, pull by the strings like a puppet. I believe our system must change so we can realize our potential. Today’s system forces us into templates, molds us into something we’re not.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/sjeverna-makedonija-kumanovo-mladi/33196767.html
Responsibility, some say, lies not only with those in power but also with those who put them there and then remain silent. Luka from Trebinje in 2023 and Aljoša from Mostar, a year later shared this view.
“It’s not their fault they’re in power; it’s our fault for electing them and not protesting when they lie to us.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-trebinje-posao/32355963.html
“Every election cycle, people expect something new, something better. Politicians lie to our faces without shame, and after the elections, everything changes for the worse. No bad person is to blame for coming to power, we are to blame for not voting for the right person, or for not protesting when there’s no one worth voting for, instead of watching our city collapse in front of us.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-mostar/33157014.html
Change is only possible if we take to the streets, said Jovana from Podgorica back in 2021.
“Our institutions are trapped; we can’t rely on them. In our country, whenever the people wanted something, they had to go to the streets and fight for it – literally.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cpHLrlwb44
That is exactly what is happening in Serbia now. Students and citizens have been protesting for nine months. They believe this time is different. Tamara from Belgrade explains:
“The difference is the sheer amount of stupidity and incidents that have piled up over the years. It’s not one problem, one event. It’s an accumulation. Another reason this protest is different is that young, smart people are leading it, and they refuse to let it be hijacked by others pushing their own agendas. That’s very important to me. Finally, even those who were previously apolitical, now when it comes to their children, are no longer apolitical.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-beograd-autokomanda/33300439.html
In neighboring countries, people are watching to see where change in Serbia might lead, if it happens at all. In Banja Luka, many believe the newly elected president of Republika Srpska will have little real power, as Milorad Dodik will continue to pull the strings. Both leaders know all too well that it is them who control the counting of the votes.
