Long queues in Zurich ahead of the Brazil and Serbia elections

Long queues have formed outside the Serbian Consulate and the Kongresshaus in Zurich ahead of Sunday’s upcoming elections in Serbia and Brazil. Initial results for both countries are expected late this evening and overnight.

Many Brazilians living in Switzerland wanted to cast their votes in Sunday’s presidential election. Hundreds of people queued up on Sunday morning outside Zurich’s Kongresshaus, for example, despite the persistent rain.

The presidential run-off in South America’s largest country pits the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, against his challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro. Both candidates face considerable scepticism. Bolsonaro, however, is heading into the run-off with momentum on his side.

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The 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro was more than two million votes ahead of Lula in the first round. He also has the support of several candidates who have since been eliminated. The first election results are expected shortly after midnight (CET).

A neck-and-neck race in Serbia too

A long queue of people wishing to cast their votes also formed outside the Serbian consulate in Zurich on Sunday morning. Early parliamentary elections are taking place in the Balkan country. According to official figures, around 6.4 million eligible voters are called upon to elect the 250 members of the National Assembly (Skupstina).

Polls predict a neck-and-neck race between the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of the recently resigned head of state, Aleksandar Vučić, and the ‘Students Will Win’ list of the new student movement.

The result will determine whether Vucic can retain power or not. The 56-year-old has been shaping the country’s politics in various roles since 2012. Critics accuse him of corruption and links to organised crime.

Vucic resigned from his post as president at the end of September in order to become prime minister should his party win the election. His second and final possible term as president would have ended in May next year. The movement now challenging him emerged from the protests following the collapse of the railway station canopy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad in November 2024. Sixteen people lost their lives in the incident.

Polling stations close at 8 pm; there are no exit polls or projections on election day. The first meaningful results are expected late in the evening.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.