Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 16 March 2014, with nineteen electoral lists competing for 250 members of the National Assembly. The election was called early, after tensions in the coalition led by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić scheduled the election at the same time as the previously announced Belgrade City Assembly election. Voter turnout was 53.09%, with 3.22% of votes invalid. The Serbian Progressive Party and their coalition won the election by a landslide, receiving just under half the valid votes and winning an absolute majority of 158 seats in the assembly. Its former partner the Socialist Party of Serbia matched its previous achievement with 44 seats, while only two more non-ethnic lists surpassed the 5% threshold: the Democratic Party (DS) with 19 seats, and the New Democratic Party coalition led by former president Boris Tadić with 18 seats. A number of long-time parliamentary parties, notably the Democratic Party of Serbia, United Regions of Serbia and the Liberal Democratic Party failed to cross the 5% threshold. The election were the first since the 2000 elections, after the ousting of Slobodan Milošević's government, that a party won the absolute majority of seats. Aleksandar Vučić announced the formation of a new government with a coalition between the parties the Serbian Progressive Party ran with. Background Following the last election, the coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won a plurality. After two months of negotiations, the Serbian Progressive Party formed a coalition government with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). Ivica Dačić (SPS) became prime minister, while Aleksandar Vučić (SNS) became first deputy prime minister. The former ruling party and now main opposition, Democratic Party (DS), suffered heavy losses in the election but retained a majority in Belgrade, a coveted position in Serbian politics. An internal split within the DS over leadership following the election further weakened its position with the mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Đilas (DS) losing a non-confidence vote. With SNS ratings at an all-time high and growing tension within the ruling coalition, first deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić called for early parliamentary elections to be held. Some analysts believed that Vučić held the most influence in the government. Despite speculation that he would not, prime minister Ivica Dačić agreed to hold early parliamentary elections. On 29 January, President Tomislav Nikolić responded to the calls by