Electoral reform

Electoral reform in Serbia has become a process that generates legislative activity without delivering meaningful change. The amendments to electoral laws adopted in 2026 addressed only a fraction of outstanding ODIHR recommendations - leaving 20 unfulfilled, including 6 priority recommendations. Among those still unaddressed: the separation of state and party resources in campaigns, and an end to pressure on voters - particularly public sector employees and welfare recipients. Meanwhile, new problems have emerged that existing recommendations do not yet cover, including organized violence against journalists and election observers, and the use of para-observer missions to legitimize flawed processes. This section tracks what has been proposed, what has been adopted, and what continues to be ignored.

CRTA's assessment of ODIHR recommendations fullfilment

July

In May 2026, the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption prepared draft amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, aimed at separating the exercise of public office from election campaigning and preventing the misuse of public office and public resources, implementing several ODIHR and GRECO recommendations. CRTA sees a step forward - notably on social media and limits on officials' campaigning - but warns that several provisions remain insufficiently precise, particularly the definition of a public official, random-sample monitoring, and the asset-declaration rules. The draft has not yet entered parliamentary procedure.

On 6 July 2026, amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities came before the National Assembly. They lower the limits on donations from citizens and companies, cap campaign spending, and for the first time regulate third-party campaigns, while also limiting party borrowing and requiring public resources to be offered on equal terms. CRTA notes, however, that several solutions stay imprecise and open to circumvention, and that the tighter limits fall hardest on new and smaller actors while barely affecting parties with stable public funding.

June

On 24 June 2026, MP Petrašinović submitted amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities to parliamentary procedure. Instead of a genuine public consultation, only public hearings on the draft were scheduled. Prepared with the involvement of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and revised after ODIHR's comments of 11 May 2026, it lowers the limits on donations and campaign spending and, for the first time, regulates third-party campaigns. The text was also sent to ODIHR for an opinion, which has not yet been published.

ODIHR

4 out of 56

Priority recommendations have been fully implemented

Reform agenda

None

Of the composite steps related to election reform have been fully implemented

Update

Draft Law Amending the Law on Prevention of Corruption

The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption has proposed amendments aimed at a clearer separation between the exercise of public office and election campaigning, and at preventing the misuse of public office and public resources. The draft implements four ODIHR and several GRECO recommendations and may represent a step forward, but several provisions leave room for discretionary interpretation and...

Update

What the amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities introduce

Proposed by MP Petrašinović, the amendments went through three drafts and a withdrawal before returning to parliament under an expedited procedure. They incorporate more of ODIHR's recommendations than past practice, but several solutions stay imprecise and the process bypassed genuine public debate.

Update

Draft amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities: progress on ODIHR’s recommen...

The amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities were submitted to parliament by MP Petrašinović and revised after ODIHR's comments. CRTA's analysis compares both drafts article by article: the text incorporates more of ODIHR's recommendations than past practice, but several solutions remain imprecise and the process has not run through a genuine, consensus-based public consultation....

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

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

Electoral law amendments adopted without consensus or genuine public debate

On 20 May 2026, the National Assembly of Serbia adopted amendments to four electoral laws: the Law on the Election of Members of Parliament, the Law on Local Elections, the Law on the Constitutional Court, and the Law on the Election of the President of the Republic. Two additional laws envisaged by the Reform Agenda - the Law on the Prevention of Corruption and the Law on the Financing of Politic...

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.

CRTA.Plus is part of CRTA’s work to document developments related to democracy, the rule of law, and accountability in Serbia.

Key Issues

Slučajevi

Other pages

Slučajevi

Electoral reform

The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption drafts amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption to address several ODIHR and GRECO recommendations.

Amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities lower donation limits, cap campaign spending, and regulate third-party campaigns.

MP Petrašinović submits amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities to parliament, without a genuine public consultation.

Draft Law Amending the Law on Prevention of Corruption

What the amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities introduce

Draft amendments to the Law on Financing of Political Activities: progress on ODIHR’s recommen...

What is the UVR Commission?

CRTA’s assessment of ODIHR recommendations from 2023 and 2024

Electoral law amendments adopted without consensus or genuine public debate

How votes become seats in Serbian Parliament

Opposition SSP proposes new framework for diaspora voting and residence records

Analysis of the proposed electoral laws amendments in April 2026