Serbian PM rejects opposition, European Parliament’s call for investigation into December elections

The December elections were legitimate, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said in a live TV appearance in response to the opposition as well as the international community and the European Parliament’s call for an international investigation, adding that such a move would infringe on Serbia’s sovereignty.

The December elections were widely condemned by local and international politicians, observers, citizens, organisations, and civil society, as well as in a European Parliament resolution. Reports of vote buying, voter pressuring, and the bussing in of Serbs from other countries to vote were widespread, but the Serbian government, which won the vote, claims nothing was amiss.

“Not a single vote was stolen. A fly couldn’t pass, let alone for something to be stolen”, Brnabić said on Prva.

“Repeated elections are the most realistic option for Belgrade. It is not a question of majority, we do have a majority, but President Aleksandar Vučić has set a standard – mathematics is not politics”, she said.

An international investigation would “suspend institutions and law in Serbia”.

“Apparently, the European Parliament is not enough anymore, but they now go to the European Commission to fantasise about how the investigation should look. The opposition wants not only to cancel or step on our sovereignty, but they want to suspend home institutions and law”, Brnabić said.

“I will never allow an international investigation, because that would call for the cancellation of a country’s sovereignty. It would suspend the parliament, institutions, democracy, and would eventually lead to foreigners putting them in power”, Brnabić stated.

“How can someone be an opposition to its state by wanting insight into every database, for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to open up all the data, and for foreigners to ask for checks such as counting how many people live in an apartment or house?”

(EURACTIV.rs/Bojana Zimonjic Jelisavac)