Serbia’s Vucic dissolves parliament, sets snap vote for Dec 17

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament on Wednesday and called an early election on Dec. 17, aiming to cement his authority as he works out how to normalise ties with Kosovo, the main precondition for EU membership.
The parliamentary election will coincide with local votes in 65 municipalities, including the capital Belgrade.
Experts say the vote and an absence of a working parliament, will allow Vucic to buy time and delay decisions over ties with independent and predominantly Albanian Kosovo, which Serbia still sees as its southern province.
“We are living in a time in which it is necessary for all of us to be united in the struggle for vital … interests of Serbia, in which we will be under numerous pressures, both because of our position on Kosovo, and because of other regional and global issues,” Vucic said after signing the decree.