Update
Position of observers
Challenges to independent observation escalated from claims of bias to calls for arrests and a ban, ...
The International Election Observation Mission, composed of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, published its Statement of preliminary findings and conclusions on the 25 October early parliamentary elections on 26 October 2026. According to the mission, the elections "saw active citizen engagement with high voter turnout and vigorous competition between two main contenders, but unfolded in an atmosphere of profound polarization, with the equality of campaign opportunities seriously compromised". Turnout reached some 69 per cent, and Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat within hours of the closing of polling stations.
The mission finds that the legal framework provides an improved basis for democratic elections, as the 2025 and 2026 amendments addressed several ODIHR recommendations. However, the changes were adopted without meaningful consultation or broad political consensus, and priority recommendations remain unaddressed - including those on the misuse of state resources, voter intimidation, dissuasive sanctions, the safety of journalists and effective media oversight. Distrust in the voter register persisted, with interlocutors pointing, among other things, to 6,451,292 registered voters against a population of 6,647,003 in the 2022 census. The authorities offered no substantive explanation for the reported discrepancies, telling the mission they considered the allegations politically motivated, while delayed and restricted access to data hampered the Commission for the Audit of the Voter Register.
According to the report, the use of state resources blurred the distinction between state and party activities. Immediately before and during the campaign, the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund distributed up to 1.9 million letters signed by the then president, combining information on one-off pension payments with campaign messaging, while payments announced shortly before the campaign were worth almost EUR 1 billion. The mission received numerous credible allegations of pressure on public-sector employees to support the ruling party, as well as allegations of vote-buying targeting national minorities and economically vulnerable groups, in particular Roma. Disruptions of "Student List" activities by "United Serbia" activists were observed or documented by 12 of the 15 long-term observer teams, while police responses were inconsistent.
Media monitoring found that RTS favoured "United Serbia", with the "Student List" the only contestant to receive negative coverage, while the national private broadcasters Pink, Prva, Happy and B92 allocated "United Serbia" between 46 and 60 per cent of politically relevant news coverage, predominantly positive in tone. The systematic imbalance in exposure and treatment undermined legally prescribed equal campaign opportunities, at odds with international standards, OSCE commitments, and good practice. Divisions within REM left the overwhelming majority of complaints unresolved before election day. The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACAS) took a largely restrained approach and initiated no misdemeanour proceedings, and the Administrative Court upheld the REC's decisions in all but one of 14 appeals, without holding oral hearings. Overall, the mission concludes, "the handling of election disputes did not consistently ensure effective legal remedies".
The report notes that citizen observers faced growing hostility, with senior officials questioning their independence and accusing them of serving foreign interests. It records that on 4 October Aleksandar Vučić described CRTA as "part of the colour revolution", while acting President Ana Brnabić called on citizens to no longer heed CRTA's assessments. According to the mission, such rhetoric risked undermining public confidence in citizen election observation.
On election day, international observers assessed voting positively in 96 per cent of the 1,485 polling stations observed, and counting in 126 of 133. Nevertheless, reported incidents of physical violence, including against polling staff, citizen observers and journalists, raised serious concerns, and observers noted group or family voting in 7 per cent of polling stations and signs of pressure or intimidation outside 2 per cent. On election day, the data of approximately 6.7 million voters was leaked online. ODIHR will publish its final report, with recommendations, some eight weeks after the completion of the electoral process.
The mission finds that the legal framework provides an improved basis for democratic elections, as the 2025 and 2026 amendments addressed several ODIHR recommendations. However, the changes were adopted without meaningful consultation or broad political consensus, and priority recommendations remain unaddressed - including those on the misuse of state resources, voter intimidation, dissuasive sanctions, the safety of journalists and effective media oversight. Distrust in the voter register persisted, with interlocutors pointing, among other things, to 6,451,292 registered voters against a population of 6,647,003 in the 2022 census. The authorities offered no substantive explanation for the reported discrepancies, telling the mission they considered the allegations politically motivated, while delayed and restricted access to data hampered the Commission for the Audit of the Voter Register.
According to the report, the use of state resources blurred the distinction between state and party activities. Immediately before and during the campaign, the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund distributed up to 1.9 million letters signed by the then president, combining information on one-off pension payments with campaign messaging, while payments announced shortly before the campaign were worth almost EUR 1 billion. The mission received numerous credible allegations of pressure on public-sector employees to support the ruling party, as well as allegations of vote-buying targeting national minorities and economically vulnerable groups, in particular Roma. Disruptions of "Student List" activities by "United Serbia" activists were observed or documented by 12 of the 15 long-term observer teams, while police responses were inconsistent.
Media monitoring found that RTS favoured "United Serbia", with the "Student List" the only contestant to receive negative coverage, while the national private broadcasters Pink, Prva, Happy and B92 allocated "United Serbia" between 46 and 60 per cent of politically relevant news coverage, predominantly positive in tone. The systematic imbalance in exposure and treatment undermined legally prescribed equal campaign opportunities, at odds with international standards, OSCE commitments, and good practice. Divisions within REM left the overwhelming majority of complaints unresolved before election day. The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACAS) took a largely restrained approach and initiated no misdemeanour proceedings, and the Administrative Court upheld the REC's decisions in all but one of 14 appeals, without holding oral hearings. Overall, the mission concludes, "the handling of election disputes did not consistently ensure effective legal remedies".
The systematic imbalance in exposure and treatment undermined legally prescribed equal campaign opportunities, at odds with international standards, OSCE commitments, and good practice.
The report notes that citizen observers faced growing hostility, with senior officials questioning their independence and accusing them of serving foreign interests. It records that on 4 October Aleksandar Vučić described CRTA as "part of the colour revolution", while acting President Ana Brnabić called on citizens to no longer heed CRTA's assessments. According to the mission, such rhetoric risked undermining public confidence in citizen election observation.
On election day, international observers assessed voting positively in 96 per cent of the 1,485 polling stations observed, and counting in 126 of 133. Nevertheless, reported incidents of physical violence, including against polling staff, citizen observers and journalists, raised serious concerns, and observers noted group or family voting in 7 per cent of polling stations and signs of pressure or intimidation outside 2 per cent. On election day, the data of approximately 6.7 million voters was leaked online. ODIHR will publish its final report, with recommendations, some eight weeks after the completion of the electoral process.
