Early parliamentary elections scheduled for April 24

Early parliamentary elections scheduled for April 24

Earlier in the day, presidents of the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly of Vojvodina said that elections at all levels would be held on the same day.

Addressing the media, he said elections were needed "to see if citizens are ready to support all the way the painful reforms in order to live better some day - or if some new idea exists."

"Perhaps citizens find it difficult to spend as much as we earn and as much as we can afford. The government has launched a whole series of reforms for which it is seeking a new mandate, so that it can be sure it is acting according to the will of citizens," Nikolic added.

The president said he expected the election to be "fair and democratic" and that he "expects the same from the media," noting that Serbia also in the past "solved problems in early elections."

"Citizens were always right in their choice, so it shall be this time, too," said Nikolic.

When a B92 reporter asked "who will be the guarantor of a fair election," the president said that those politicians "saying from the opposition they are not in favor of elections are unsuccessful."

"Fairness can be talked about when irregularity occurs, while those who are afraid of taking part in the election are saying they presume that it will not be fair. There's so much of a control system that it's impossible for favoritism or any other irregularity to go unnoticed," he said.

Nikolic, who stepped down as the leader of the Serb Progressives (SNS) when he was elected Serbia's president, also said he wishes that this party would win on April 24, but that he "won't be the one who is disappointed if somebody else wins," noting he is "not sure there would be continued reforms, fight against crime, international relations" in case of a different outcome.

"I hope that Serbia will continue with reforms, that it will not give up on the road it is now traveling, that it will show even more perseverance. I think that is the government's trump card. On the other side, the opposition will have the opportunity to check what impression it has left with its activities - some used this time to represent themselves, while others say they have changed and improved. It's all in the hands of Serbian citizens," said Nikolic.

The president also revealed he expects "external challenges" to occur during the campaign, but added that "they will be dealt with because all systems in the country will function."

"Here I have the migrant crisis in mind above all, I expect it to culminate. We have wire fences on borders in Europe, the police, and in some countries both the police and the army. We should not think that is none of out concern, and that it will not affect us," he said.