Update
The week on television: 5-11 October 2026
The ruling majority took 77% of political airtime, up from 66% a week earlier, and Aleksandar Vučić ...
Transparency Serbia warned on 14 October that the plans of promotional activities submitted by public officials to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (ACAS) have rendered the ban on campaigning by public officials largely meaningless. According to its monitoring, campaigning by public officials ahead of the 25 October early parliamentary elections continues at undiminished intensity, now framed as promotional activities.
Recent amendments to Article 50 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption require public authorities to notify ACAS, within seven days of elections being called, of promotional activities planned for the period between the deadline for submitting candidate lists and the end of the campaign. ACAS then publishes the reported activities. Activities that were "planned" before the elections were called remain permitted. Transparency Serbia had warned in advance that this exception would in effect legalise campaigning by public officials, and finds that most officials now rely on it.
The published plans illustrate the scale. Some list more than 70 promotional activities for the period from 5 to 25 October alone, and some list activities without any dates. The Minister of Agriculture announced more than 50 activities for the whole campaign period, while the Mayor of Niš reported 73 for 5-25 October. By contrast, several ministries submitted no plans at all, and one submitted a notice that its minister plans no promotional activities. Transparency Serbia also recorded promotional activities not covered by any submitted plan and has filed complaints with ACAS.
Furthermore, Transparency Serbia points to the plan of Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia until late September. The plan covers the period up to 27 September and is dated 31 August. It lists the calling of parliamentary elections among the planned activities - a week before the Government formally proposed dissolving the National Assembly, on 7 September. The decree dissolving the Assembly and calling the elections was signed on 9 September. According to Transparency Serbia, this indicates that the then president knew in advance when the Government would propose the dissolution.
These findings are consistent with those of CRTA's Election Observation Mission, which found that the data were not submitted uniformly and that ACAS publishes the reported activities without checking whether they meet the legal criteria, which limits the ability to monitor how the provision is applied. Against this backdrop, the amendment appears so far to have introduced a reporting procedure rather than an effective limit on campaigning by public officials.
Recent amendments to Article 50 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption require public authorities to notify ACAS, within seven days of elections being called, of promotional activities planned for the period between the deadline for submitting candidate lists and the end of the campaign. ACAS then publishes the reported activities. Activities that were "planned" before the elections were called remain permitted. Transparency Serbia had warned in advance that this exception would in effect legalise campaigning by public officials, and finds that most officials now rely on it.
The published plans illustrate the scale. Some list more than 70 promotional activities for the period from 5 to 25 October alone, and some list activities without any dates. The Minister of Agriculture announced more than 50 activities for the whole campaign period, while the Mayor of Niš reported 73 for 5-25 October. By contrast, several ministries submitted no plans at all, and one submitted a notice that its minister plans no promotional activities. Transparency Serbia also recorded promotional activities not covered by any submitted plan and has filed complaints with ACAS.
Furthermore, Transparency Serbia points to the plan of Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia until late September. The plan covers the period up to 27 September and is dated 31 August. It lists the calling of parliamentary elections among the planned activities - a week before the Government formally proposed dissolving the National Assembly, on 7 September. The decree dissolving the Assembly and calling the elections was signed on 9 September. According to Transparency Serbia, this indicates that the then president knew in advance when the Government would propose the dissolution.
It lists the calling of parliamentary elections among the planned activities - a week before the Government formally proposed dissolving the National Assembly.
These findings are consistent with those of CRTA's Election Observation Mission, which found that the data were not submitted uniformly and that ACAS publishes the reported activities without checking whether they meet the legal criteria, which limits the ability to monitor how the provision is applied. Against this backdrop, the amendment appears so far to have introduced a reporting procedure rather than an effective limit on campaigning by public officials.
