CRTA Election Observation Mission is not an activity confined to election day; it is a permanent, independent civic infrastructure that brings together long-term observation of the pre-election period, statistically based observation of election day, observation of all procedures up to the declaration of the final election results, legal analysis and support, robust and secure systems for the collection and processing of data, and regular public reporting.
Such a comprehensive approach to observation is not an option but a necessity: as scrutiny of election day itself becomes ever more developed, actors with an interest in shaping the electoral outcome by irregular means increasingly direct their activity towards the period preceding the official calling of elections - manipulation of the voter register, influence over the media, misuse of public resources and public office, the blurring of the line between the state and the political party contrary to the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document, and restrictions on political competition or on various human and civic rights can all undermine in advance the equality of political competition and citizens' right to choose freely. Credible observation therefore cannot begin only at the moment the elections are called; it must also take in the practices and institutional changes that shape the electoral conditions months, and even years, ahead.
The methodology of CRTA's observation mission is based on internationally recognised standards for non-partisan and impartial election observation: the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and the accompanying Code of Conduct for Non-Partisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors, adopted at the United Nations in 2012, as well as the complementary Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers. These standards are recognised and supported by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and other international bodies.
In line with this approach, in regular circumstances CRTA begins long-term observation at the start of the election year An election year is the 12-month period within which regular elections are expected to be held. Because elections are certain and close at hand, it is a particularly sensitive period in which any institutional or legislative change may have effects on the rights of voters and candidates or of other actors, and it is also open to attempts to exert undue influence on voters and candidates through various mechanisms. , and broadens the scope of observation further once the elections have been officially called. This first periodic report on the long-term observation of the election campaign covers the period from the calling of the elections to 30 September, while also covering the most significant individual events up to the moment of the report's publication.
CRTA's observation mission followed: the quality of political and media pluralism and of reporting; the quality of the legislative and institutional framework for elections; the conduct of public office-holders, candidate lists and other actors on the ground; the conditions for equal political competition; respect for human and civic rights; and the integrity of the process of candidate registration and the confirmation of candidate lists, of decisions on the opening of polling stations and respect for the voting rights of citizens in Serbia and abroad, of the voter register and of other decisions of significance for the conduct of the elections.
Such a comprehensive approach to observation is not an option but a necessity: as scrutiny of election day itself becomes ever more developed, actors with an interest in shaping the electoral outcome by irregular means increasingly direct their activity towards the period preceding the official calling of elections - manipulation of the voter register, influence over the media, misuse of public resources and public office, the blurring of the line between the state and the political party contrary to the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document, and restrictions on political competition or on various human and civic rights can all undermine in advance the equality of political competition and citizens' right to choose freely. Credible observation therefore cannot begin only at the moment the elections are called; it must also take in the practices and institutional changes that shape the electoral conditions months, and even years, ahead.
The methodology of CRTA's observation mission is based on internationally recognised standards for non-partisan and impartial election observation: the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and the accompanying Code of Conduct for Non-Partisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors, adopted at the United Nations in 2012, as well as the complementary Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers. These standards are recognised and supported by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and other international bodies.
In line with this approach, in regular circumstances CRTA begins long-term observation at the start of the election year An election year is the 12-month period within which regular elections are expected to be held. Because elections are certain and close at hand, it is a particularly sensitive period in which any institutional or legislative change may have effects on the rights of voters and candidates or of other actors, and it is also open to attempts to exert undue influence on voters and candidates through various mechanisms. , and broadens the scope of observation further once the elections have been officially called. This first periodic report on the long-term observation of the election campaign covers the period from the calling of the elections to 30 September, while also covering the most significant individual events up to the moment of the report's publication.
CRTA's observation mission followed: the quality of political and media pluralism and of reporting; the quality of the legislative and institutional framework for elections; the conduct of public office-holders, candidate lists and other actors on the ground; the conditions for equal political competition; respect for human and civic rights; and the integrity of the process of candidate registration and the confirmation of candidate lists, of decisions on the opening of polling stations and respect for the voting rights of citizens in Serbia and abroad, of the voter register and of other decisions of significance for the conduct of the elections.
Observation of the legal and institutional framework
CRTA's observers followed and analysed on site all sessions of the Republic Electoral Commission (REC), the work of the entire infrastructure that administers the conduct of the elections, and all decisions taken up to the closing date of this report. The legal team also analysed the readiness of the competent institutions, such as the Agency for Prevention of Corruption (ACAS) and the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), as well as the judiciary and the Ministry of the Interior, to apply the laws effectively. The observation mission also followed the work of the Commission tasked with the audit, verification and checking of the accuracy and updating of the voter register, including information and citizen reports concerning the voter register, voting abroad and other matters relevant to the exercise of voting rights.
On the basis of the irregularities identified, over the observation period the legal team of CRTA's observation mission submitted to the competent institutions 19 complaints to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, as well as an initiative and requests for access to information addressed to other bodies, which is reported on in more detail in the relevant chapters of this report.
On the basis of the irregularities identified, over the observation period the legal team of CRTA's observation mission submitted to the competent institutions 19 complaints to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, as well as an initiative and requests for access to information addressed to other bodies, which is reported on in more detail in the relevant chapters of this report.
Observation of the election campaign and actors' activities on the ground
This report has been prepared on the basis of 2,863 observer reports from 45 long-term observers, collected between 9 September and 30 September 2026.
The field work comprises the direct observation of events across Serbia and conversations with citizens and relevant actors, in order to gather testimony and to document and verify accounts. Over this period the observers conducted several hundred conversations with relevant actors and citizens, in which they gathered information on campaign activities, on the conditions for campaigning and on phenomena of significance for the electoral process.
The report presents the activities and phenomena recorded in the course of the observation. It does not constitute a complete inventory of all campaign activities, nor of all phenomena in every municipality in Serbia. The methodology applied makes it possible to gauge the general atmosphere of the campaign and to identify recurring patterns. It also makes it possible to single out specific phenomena of significance for the integrity of the electoral process, the equality of electoral contestants and the freedom of political choice. The figures in the report should therefore be read as indicators of how widespread and how often repeated particular phenomena are, rather than as their total number.
The data collected are analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, with a focus on the activities of the public authorities and of political actors, as well as on phenomena that may undermine the principles of free elections. Cases of particular significance are examined further through document analysis, field work and consultations with experts, with the cross-checking of sources.
CRTA's observation mission extended an invitation to electoral actors from the ruling majority and the opposition, as well as to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media. The aim is for the observation findings to be considered also from the perspective of the electoral contestants and of the institutions responsible for overseeing the campaign.
The field work comprises the direct observation of events across Serbia and conversations with citizens and relevant actors, in order to gather testimony and to document and verify accounts. Over this period the observers conducted several hundred conversations with relevant actors and citizens, in which they gathered information on campaign activities, on the conditions for campaigning and on phenomena of significance for the electoral process.
The report presents the activities and phenomena recorded in the course of the observation. It does not constitute a complete inventory of all campaign activities, nor of all phenomena in every municipality in Serbia. The methodology applied makes it possible to gauge the general atmosphere of the campaign and to identify recurring patterns. It also makes it possible to single out specific phenomena of significance for the integrity of the electoral process, the equality of electoral contestants and the freedom of political choice. The figures in the report should therefore be read as indicators of how widespread and how often repeated particular phenomena are, rather than as their total number.
The data collected are analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, with a focus on the activities of the public authorities and of political actors, as well as on phenomena that may undermine the principles of free elections. Cases of particular significance are examined further through document analysis, field work and consultations with experts, with the cross-checking of sources.
CRTA's observation mission extended an invitation to electoral actors from the ruling majority and the opposition, as well as to the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media. The aim is for the observation findings to be considered also from the perspective of the electoral contestants and of the institutions responsible for overseeing the campaign.
Media
Television monitoring
Television monitoring covers nine channels: the public service broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) 1, four commercial broadcasters with national coverage (Pink, Prva, B92 and Happy) and four cable broadcasters (Informer TV, N1, Kurir TV and Nova S), over the period from 14 to 30 September. Programming is followed daily from 18.00 to 24.00, recording content in which relevant political actors appear or are mentioned, or which deals with topics relevant to the electoral process. The basic unit of measurement is a second of airtime devoted to a political actor. For each actor, an active role is distinguished - where the actor addresses the audience directly, in the first person - from a passive role, where the actor is spoken about by the outlet, by another political actor or by another participant in the content; the tone of the actor's presentation is also recorded (positive, neutral or negative). The analysis also covers phenomena relevant to the integrity of the electoral process, including manipulative content, misuse of public resources and public office, political pressure, vote-buying, misuse of personal data and of children for political purposes, and hate speech.
Monitoring of local television stations
The sample covers ten local television stations: TV Mačva, TV Lav plus, TV 5 Užice, TV V5 Valjevo, TV Santos, Niš TV, Studio B, Novosadska TV, RTV Kragujevac and TV Novi Pazar. The findings presented in this interim report relate to the period from 18 to 30 September, that is, to the first part of the election campaign. The stations were selected so as to cover different parts of Serbia, including large regional and university centres (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš and Novi Pazar), as well as Užice, Valjevo, Zrenjanin and the Mačva area. A further criterion was availability on the EON platform, which allows centralised access to programming and subsequent review of broadcasts. The findings relate to the stations in the sample and do not represent all local television stations in Serbia.
The monitoring focuses on the presence of political actors, the tone of their presentation and their opportunity to address the audience directly, with particular attention to the participation of public officials in the campaign. Unlike the broadcasters with national coverage, the basic unit of measurement here is a mention of a political actor in an item. As with those broadcasters, the analysis also covers phenomena relevant to the integrity of the electoral process.
The monitoring focuses on the presence of political actors, the tone of their presentation and their opportunity to address the audience directly, with particular attention to the participation of public officials in the campaign. Unlike the broadcasters with national coverage, the basic unit of measurement here is a mention of a political actor in an item. As with those broadcasters, the analysis also covers phenomena relevant to the integrity of the electoral process.
Monitoring of online outlets
The monitoring of online outlets covers nine news portals which, according to Gemius Audience data
Database: Gemius Audience gemius, August 2026, https://e-public.gemius.com/rs/rankings/12730, accessed 6 October 2026.
for August 2026, stand out in terms of audience size and intensity of use and on which social and political content predominates: Blic, Kurir, Alo, Danas, B92, N1, Nova.rs, Večernje novosti and Informer. The monitoring covered 7,519 articles on domestic politics published between 9 and 30 September. The basic unit of analysis for presence and tone is a mention of a political actor in an article, for which the tone is recorded (positive, neutral or negative). Narratives are recorded at the level of the article, where a single article may contain several narratives; their presence is analysed across the whole corpus as well as among the texts in which individual political actors are mentioned. Narratives are coded according to the definitions in the monitoring codebook; the definitions of the narratives the report refers to are given in footnotes at first mention.
Monitoring of newspaper front pages
The monitoring covers the front pages of nine daily newspapers (Informer, Kurir, Blic, Večernje novosti, Politika, Alo!, Srpski telegraf, Danas and Nova) over the period from 9 to 30 September. The unit of analysis is the individual manipulative headline on a front page, which is coded as manipulative where information is distorted or presented in a way that misleads the audience. Manipulative presentation may involve the selective display of facts, the omission of relevant context, insinuation, unfounded qualifications, or the connecting of facts in a way that creates a misleading impression of an event, a phenomenon or an actor. For each manipulative headline, the narrative through which that presentation is built is also recorded, such as the discrediting of political opponents, of actors from the region or of international actors.
