Serbia’s populist leader relies on his tested playbook to mastermind another election victory
By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Associated Press
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Aleksandar Vucic likes nothing more than to win. Critics say he cheats, but Serbia’s president argues he just knows how to remain in power. The Balkan nation’s populist leader has ruled Serbia for more than a decade as both prime minister and president. After his populists won a weekend snap parliamentary election, Vucic seems set to tighten his already autocratic rule still further. During a political career that spans more than 30 years, Vucic has morphed from being an extreme nationalist who supported an aggression against non-Serbs, to a regional player lauded by Western officials for keeping the Balkans relatively stable.