Serbia Government Asks President To Call Early Elections

The Serbian government has formally asked the president to dissolve parliament and call early general elections.

The government said on March 3 that the early vote is necessary so that a new cabinet with “a clear mandate" could pursue reforms and put the Balkan country firmly on the path to European Union membership.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has called for early parliamentary elections on April 24, halfway through his term.

His Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is currently allied with several smaller parties in a coalition government.

The party is well ahead in opinion polls, putting Vucic on track to lead the next government as well.

The SNS is striving for a two-thirds majority it narrowly missed in the last elections in 2014 when it won 158 of 250 parliamentary seats.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters