Elections and Voting Integrity

In 2026, Serbia's elections are still defined by blurred state-party lines, voter pressure, misuse of public resources, unequal media access, and intimidation of observers - the opposite of free and fair elections. CRTA's Election Observation Mission has delivered the same verdict every cycle since 2023: neither free nor fair, with each year adding violence and criminalization, especially in the November 2025 and March 2026 local elections.

Assessment of ODIHR's recommendations

June

CRTA mapped the full methodology of the Commission for the Audit of the Unified Voter Register against the data access actually provided to date. The assessment finds that 95% of planned checks - everything that requires analysing the register as a whole, cross-referencing source records, or examining system security - cannot be carried out. Full access, required under Article 22j of the UVR Law, has not been provided, while the Commission's reporting deadlines continue to run.

May

Five months after it was established, the voter register audit commission has adopted its methodology and begun initial activities, but the substantive verification of the register has not started for lack of data access. The methodology rests on aggregate analysis of the register and cross-checking against source registries, while the access granted is limited to looking up voters one at a time, with no aggregate, historical, or cross-register view. The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, which manages the register, has not provided the access the law guarantees. Under the work plan, the Commission faces possible automatic termination if access is not secured by 31 May 2026.

The amendments to the Law on the Unified Voter Register, adopted in November 2025, established the Commission for the Revision, Verification and Control of the Accuracy and Updating of the Voter Register - a permanent, independent expert body of 10 members and 10 deputy members, nominated by the ruling majority, the opposition, and civil society. The Commission has a five-year mandate to audit the Unified Voter Register and address its structural weaknesses, and takes decisions by a qualified majority of seven votes, including at least two from each group, which guards against one-sided control. It should complete its first audit within nine months of being constituted and report to Parliament.

Serbia's Election Record

CRTA Election Observation Mission — verdicts by cycle

2023

Neither free nor fair

2024

Neither free nor fair

2025

Neither free nor fair

2026

Overshadowed by violence

Pattern: ODIHR has documented the blurring of the line between state and party since 2016, and voter pressure since 2012.

* Will not reflected - the degree of documented irregularities is such that the results do not reflect the electoral will of the citizens.

CRTA's Election Observation History

Parliamentary elections

2016, 2020, 2022, 2023

2020: Regular parliamentary elections
2016, 2022, 2023: Snap parliamentary elections

Presidential elections

2017, 2022

*Additionally: Referendum on Constitutional changes in 2022

Local elections

2017: Zaječar, Pećinci. 2018: Lučani, Belgrade 2022: Belgrade. 2023: Belgrade. 2024: Belgrade
2025: Kosjerić, Zaječar, Mionica, Sečanj, Negotin. 2026: Aranđelovac, Bor, Bajina Bašta, Kula, Smederevska Palanka, Sevojno, Lučani, Kladovo, Majdanpek, Knjaževac

Update

Auditing the voter register: purpose, impact, and where we are at the moment

The purpose of the audit is to determine, on the basis of evidence, whether the Unified Voter Register can be trusted — and to correct the problems it finds. It does this by testing both the accuracy of the data and the resilience of the system that maintains it, proceeding in sequence from first indications, through deeper checks, to findings and conclusions.

Update

Where the UVR Commission stands as the 31 May deadline nears

Five months after it was established, the Commission has adopted its methodology and begun initial work, but the authorities have not granted the data access the law requires. Without it, the substantive audit cannot begin - and the body faces possible termination at the end of May.

Update

What is the UVR Commission?

A body established by Parliament to audit the Unified Voter Register and help rebuild public trust in it. It is meant to bring together nominees of the ruling majority, the opposition, and civil society, and to take decisions only with cross-group agreement.

Update

Snap Election Deadline Calculator

Enter a date and find out what is still legally possible - and what has already run out of time.

Update

CRTA’s assessment of ODIHR recommendations from 2023 and 2024

Between the 2023 parliamentary elections and the 2024 local elections, ODIHR issued 54 recommendations for Serbia's electoral process. Meanwhile, Serbian authorities have been actively trying to convince the domestic — and above all the international — public that they are implementing electoral reforms. CRTA verifies which recommendations have been implemented, which only formally, and which have...

Update

How votes become seats in Serbian Parliament

How votes become seats - and what would happen if things were different? Build scenarios, test coalitions, predict outcomes, learn how the system works.

Brief

Opposition SSP proposes new framework for diaspora voting and residence records

The proposals would extend voting rights in national elections to citizens with actual residence abr...

Update

Analysis of the proposed electoral laws amendments in April 2026

The proposed electoral law amendments do not address the fundamental problems of Serbia's electoral process and cannot make a meaningful contribution to improving electoral conditions. They will neither reduce the unequal footing of electoral contestants nor prevent the manipulations documented in previous election cycles.

Update

UN Human Rights Chief Warns of Serious Civic Space Erosion in Serbia

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk has raised alarm over accelerating restrictions on civic freedoms in Serbia, citing electoral irregularities, pressure on independent media, and ongoing threats against critical voices as signs of a deepening democratic crisis.