The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for an independent international investigation into election irregularities in Serbia, with reactions in Serbia spanning between criticism and suggestions that the EU is actually keen to see democratic processes at work in Serbia.
EU lawmakers backed the resolution, with 461 MEPs voting in favour, 53 against and 43 abstaining.
“Resolutions come and go, but it will forever be recorded that there were political parties and people in Serbia who sought the abolition of the sovereignty of their own country,” Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić wrote on X in reaction to the resolution’s adoption.
For Pavle Grbović, president of the Movement of Free Citizens, this move marks an official shift in EU institutions’ attitude towards President Aleksandar Vučić’s “regime.”
It is a positive message that helps Serbia’s citizens and institutions ensure that the next elections are free and fair, added Freedom and Justice Vice-President Marinka Tepić.
“A candidate country for EU membership cannot have unfree elections with the worst persecution of political dissent, where rule by crime and corruption prevails, and then say, ‘Well, this was the cleanest campaign and elections’,” Tepić added.
Tepić stressed that she and her party had received assurances from MEPs that an ad hoc mission would be formed as soon as possible, which would not require an invitation or the host country’s consent, as Serbia is a candidate for EU membership.
The mission would consist mainly of legal experts expected to gather all evidence and documents. In addition, the European Commission is expected to send its envoy or a team to which Tepić will be added.
The resolution points to elections in Serbia not being conducted under fair conditions, with MEPs calling for an independent investigation into irregularities.
Due to the abuse of institutions and the media by representatives of the authorities, the elections in Serbia fell “below the expected standards for a country that is a candidate for EU membership”, the EU lawmakers agreed to in the resolution.
Elections were marked by numerous procedural shortcomings, the MEPs added – including failing to implement safeguards during voting and vote counting properly, violations of ballot secrecy, and many instances of group voting.
In their resolution, the EU lawmakers also said they regretted the lack of institutional response to serious suspicions that the current leaders are involved in electoral manipulation and abuse, which they stress perpetuates impunity and ensures that this practice continues.
The EU Parliament also condemned the lack of results in sanctioning electoral violations, including serious allegations of illegal manipulation of voter lists and voting rights, pressure and intimidation of citizens and election candidates, cases of corruption, forging of citizens’ signatures, etc.
Referring to “organised attacks by Serbian officials on election observers, including Members of the European Parliament”, the plenary called for a return to a respectful and constructive discourse and stresses the importance of mutual respect in the democratic process.
The EU Parliament also condemns the lack of media pluralism during the pre-election campaign, disinformation and the abundance of unethical and biased media coverage in favour of the current leaders.
Over the past decade and since Vučić came to power, Serbia has witnessed the steady erosion of media freedom, marked by political pressure, threats and even physical attacks on journalists.
Accession negotiations with Serbia should only be pursued if the country progresses on EU-related reforms, including the full implementation of the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission election recommendations, as underlined in the resolution.
If the Serbian authorities are unwilling to implement key election recommendations, or if an investigation finds that the Serbian authorities were directly involved in electoral fraud, MEPs call for the suspension of EU funds on the grounds of serious violations of election-related rules in Serbia.
The final ODIHR report is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs)
Read more with Euractiv
Romania allows rapid NATO deployment in case of highly serious threatsRomania has allowed the deployment of the high-readiness NATO rapid deployment forces on Romanian territory this year, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis informed parliament in a letter sent on Wednesday evening.
Source: euractiv.com
