Democratic Backsliding Through Legislative Capture in Serbia: A One-Man Show

Abstract

Serbia’s democracy has been in a state of continuous erosion since the Serbian Progressive Party and Aleksandar Vučić came to power in 2012. Vučić exploited his popularity as a self-proclaimed defender of the Serbian nation to gain full control of the party and initiate democratic backsliding through “legislative capture.” Vučić’s capture of the parliament and its appointment powers made possible a subsequent capture of many democratic institutions. The rest, mindful of Vučić’s broad electoral appeal, deferred to the executive. Challenges to Serbia’s democratic backsliding were attempted through popular mobilizations and electoral resistance, but they have not been successful. There are several reasons for such an outcome: the uneven playing field, a fragmented and ideologically heterogeneous opposition, a misguided choice of resistance strategies, the absence of an alternative political platform that addressed the issue of Kosovo—the antecedent condition that precipitated backsliding, and insufficient support from external prodemocracy actors.