Serbian opposition calls for international investigation into last election

The opposition, who marched on Friday in protest of the election results, is calling to annul last month’s national elections, claiming numerous irregularities, and calling for an independent investigation by relevant authorities.

The protest was held in Belgrade, with many marching from the Constitutional Court to the Public Broadcasting Service of Serbia. Jelena Jerinić, a member of the legal team for the coalition, said they had submitted a request to the Constitutional Court earlier that day to annul the national elections and have submitted a total of 20 submissions so far. Still, the court has not responded to this matter.

Serbia Against Violence, five days after the elections, wrote to EU institutions, urging them not to recognise the election results and to initiate an international investigation. The European Commission responded, stating they expect state authorities to address the issue. They mentioned that they are awaiting the final report from the OSCE/ODIHR which is expected by the end of February.

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders initiated the discussion by quoting the preliminary statement from the OSCE/ODIHR, which mentioned that although the elections were technically well-organized, they were marked by decisive engagement by the president, creating unfair conditions along with systemic advantages for the ruling party.

Vladimir Bilčik, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia (EPP), stated that frequent elections breed mistrust among people in power and hinder EU-related reforms. He added that the key voting and counting procedures were respected on the election day, but EP observers received numerous reports about the registration of voters from abroad and other municipalities in Serbia, particularly for expanding the electorate.

(Euractiv.rs | Jelena Nikolić)