Local elections were held in most cities and municipalities of Serbia (excluding the disputed territory of Kosovo) on 21 June 2020, with repeat voting later taking place in some communities. The elections were held concurrently with the 2020 Serbian parliamentary election and the 2020 Vojvodina provincial election. Elections on all three levels were initially scheduled for 26 April 2020 but were rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[1]
As with the republic and provincial elections, the local elections were boycotted by several opposition parties, most notably those in the Alliance for Serbia, which charged that the process was neither free nor fair.[2] Some parties that boycotted the parliamentary election nonetheless chose to participate in the local elections in a limited capacity.[3]
Elections were not held for the City Assembly of Belgrade, as its members were elected on a different four-year cycle (although assembly elections were held in all of the City of Belgrade's constituent municipalities). Some other jurisdictions also did not hold local elections in 2020, for the same reason.
All local elections in Serbia are held under proportional representation. Mayors are not directly elected but are instead chosen by elected members of the local assemblies. For this election, the electoral threshold was lowered from five to three per cent (of all votes, not only of valid votes). Parties representing national minority communities are exempt from the threshold requirement.