Metal fences around RIK and the Presidency in Belgrade as police tighten security
Authorities closed the area near key state buildings, halted public transport and limited access to residents and voters.
Police presence in central Belgrade was visibly strengthened from the morning, and metal barriers were erected around the headquarters of the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) and the Presidency of Serbia. Public transport through that section of the city was suspended while the barriers remained in place.
Officials from the Serbian police said the zone was closed for security reasons because the fenced area contains buildings of importance to the state.
Access to the cordoned-off section was restricted: only residents who live there or people going to vote at polling stations in the vicinity were allowed to enter.
Long lines at polling places at home and abroad
Meanwhile, long queues formed at polling stations across several Serbian cities. In Belgrade and Novi Sad voters waited in extended lines to cast their ballots, and at many locations lines began to form before the official opening of polling stations.
Reports say citizens in Novi Sad started gathering around five in the morning, two hours before polling stations opened. Similar queues were reported in Kragujevac, Čačak and Niš.
Large turnout was also visible at polling stations in the diaspora, with long lines documented in Washington, Vienna and Ljubljana; in Los Angeles a queue of several hundred people formed.
Photo: MIA
