Update
How CRTA observes elections: inside the methodology and stru...
Standards, methodology and structure of the mission CRTA deploys for the 2026 elections
Summary of the findings
The integrity of the candidacy process for the 25 October elections has been compromised by weak transparency and serious allegations of unlawful conduct - from the certification of signatures without the voter being present, that is, suspicions of forgery. Pressure on voters and on institutions in favour of the list of the governing SNS was also recorded.
By 16 September the Republic Electoral Commission had proclaimed five lists: "United Serbia" (224,557 signatures, 209,130 valid), "Ivica Dačić" (21,266/18,162), "Student List" (84,641/69,099), "Rasim Ljajić" (8,053/7,675) and the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (9,531/9,332). The list "The People's Choice" withdrew after submitting 10,500 signatures, and gave its support to the Student List.
The most serious findings: some signatures for the governing list were prepared or certified without the voter being personally present. Political mobbing of employees, the use of senior positions in public institutions, and isolated cases of the organised bringing in of vulnerable groups were also recorded.
From the field reports: "The coordinator said that citizens whose identity cards are brought in do not have to appear in person to give a signature." Another source: "All activists were given the task of collecting the identity cards of people who would not be able to come in person."
The analysis of signature certification shows a pronounced imbalance: SNS, SPS and the minority lists certified their signatures predominantly through municipal and city administrations, while the Student List certified almost four fifths of its signatures before public notaries.
By 16 September the Republic Electoral Commission had proclaimed five lists: "United Serbia" (224,557 signatures, 209,130 valid), "Ivica Dačić" (21,266/18,162), "Student List" (84,641/69,099), "Rasim Ljajić" (8,053/7,675) and the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (9,531/9,332). The list "The People's Choice" withdrew after submitting 10,500 signatures, and gave its support to the Student List.
The most serious findings: some signatures for the governing list were prepared or certified without the voter being personally present. Political mobbing of employees, the use of senior positions in public institutions, and isolated cases of the organised bringing in of vulnerable groups were also recorded.
From the field reports: "The coordinator said that citizens whose identity cards are brought in do not have to appear in person to give a signature." Another source: "All activists were given the task of collecting the identity cards of people who would not be able to come in person."
The analysis of signature certification shows a pronounced imbalance: SNS, SPS and the minority lists certified their signatures predominantly through municipal and city administrations, while the Student List certified almost four fifths of its signatures before public notaries.
Signature certification by list - notaries versus municipal and city administrations
Notaries / natural persons
Municipal or city administration
Court
| List | Total signatures | Notaries / natural persons (%) | Municipal or city administration (%) | Court (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia | 223,933 | 19% | 81% | 0% | |
| Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability | 21,266 | 33% | 66% | 1% | |
| Student List - Students Are Winning | 69,947 | 78% | 22% | 0% | |
| Rasim Ljajić - Ljudski (SDP-CDP) | 8,053 | 11% | 87% | 2% | |
| Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians - Dr Bálint Pásztor | 9,533 | 10% | 90% | 0% |
Source: CRTA, based on the certification records submitted with the candidate lists.
Across Serbia the Student List and some opposition parties had difficulty scheduling certification with notaries and municipal certifying officers, with cancellations and delays (Niš, Ruma, Zrenjanin, Velika Plana and elsewhere). The governing lists - SNS and SPS - reported no such problems.
In Niš a protest broke out on 12 September after the Student List was told that City Administration officials would not come out to the collection points it had registered, even though the request had been filed two days earlier. Certification resumed only the following day, at three locations.
The law has allowed certification both before notaries and before municipal administrations since 2020; notaries are obliged to certify at weekends and outside working hours, with no right to an increased fee (Article 10a of the Rulebook). A refusal must be set out in a reasoned decision, against which an objection may be lodged with the court.
RTS presented the signature collection for SNS through Aleksandar Vučić's statement about a "record" turnout, while its reporting on the Student List was considerably more modest despite queues of citizens in several cities. Pro-government media stressed "mass support", while critical media emphasised the turnout for the students and questions about pressure on employees in the case of SNS.
CRTA's observation mission concludes that the findings - from certification without the voter present to unequal access to certifying officers - warrant further examination by the competent authorities in order to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
CRTA observers followed the signature collection process from 11 to 14 September in more than 60 cities and municipalities, at over 170 collection points. The information gathered points to a series of unlawful acts in favour of the list "United Serbia" and to aggravating circumstances for the Student List and the opposition.
The full record of which lists were submitted, when each was proclaimed, its candidates and the arithmetic of its signature check is kept on a separate running page: Candidate lists for the 25 October parliamentary elections.
CRTA's observation mission set out its findings in the analysis that follows.
In Niš a protest broke out on 12 September after the Student List was told that City Administration officials would not come out to the collection points it had registered, even though the request had been filed two days earlier. Certification resumed only the following day, at three locations.
The law has allowed certification both before notaries and before municipal administrations since 2020; notaries are obliged to certify at weekends and outside working hours, with no right to an increased fee (Article 10a of the Rulebook). A refusal must be set out in a reasoned decision, against which an objection may be lodged with the court.
RTS presented the signature collection for SNS through Aleksandar Vučić's statement about a "record" turnout, while its reporting on the Student List was considerably more modest despite queues of citizens in several cities. Pro-government media stressed "mass support", while critical media emphasised the turnout for the students and questions about pressure on employees in the case of SNS.
CRTA's observation mission concludes that the findings - from certification without the voter present to unequal access to certifying officers - warrant further examination by the competent authorities in order to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
CRTA observers followed the signature collection process from 11 to 14 September in more than 60 cities and municipalities, at over 170 collection points. The information gathered points to a series of unlawful acts in favour of the list "United Serbia" and to aggravating circumstances for the Student List and the opposition.
The full record of which lists were submitted, when each was proclaimed, its candidates and the arithmetic of its signature check is kept on a separate running page: Candidate lists for the 25 October parliamentary elections.
CRTA's observation mission set out its findings in the analysis that follows.
Analysis of the candidacy process
The integrity of the candidacy process has been compromised by weak transparency and serious allegations of unlawful conduct - such as the recorded cases of signatures being certified without the voter's identity being established, that is, suspicions that signatures were forged. This is compounded by cases of pressure on voters and on institutions to give an advantage to the list of the governing Serbian Progressive Party, or to obstruct the collection of support by actors from the opposition. The fact that a record-fast candidacy process, with a reportedly mass turnout, also served the governing Serbian Progressive Party to deepen propaganda in its own favour in the most influential media likewise fuels doubt about the authenticity, and the credibility, of the signatures collected.
Overview of the lists submitted and proclaimed
By 16 September the Republic Electoral Commission had proclaimed five candidate lists. The lists "Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia" and "Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability" were submitted on 12 September and proclaimed under numbers one and two. The SNS list was submitted with 224,557 statements of support, of which 209,130 were assessed as legally valid, while of the 21,266 statements submitted with the Dačić list 18,162 were established as valid. The student movement submitted 84,641 statements of support on 14 September; the Commission established that 69,099 were legally valid and proclaimed the "Student List - Students Are Winning" under number three. The minority list "Rasim Ljajić - Ljudski (SDP-CDP)" was submitted on the same day, with 8,053 statements, of which 7,675 were assessed as valid, and the list was proclaimed under number four. The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians submitted 9,531 certified statements on 15 September, of which 9,332 were established as legally valid, and it was proclaimed as a minority list under number five. On the same day the coalition "People's Serbia" submitted the list "The People's Choice" with 10,500 certified signatures, but announced immediately after submission that it was withdrawing it and would support the Student List.
The finding of CRTA's observation mission
CRTA's observation mission is following the entire process of collecting signatures for the candidacy of the lists, which has been under way from the moment the Republic Electoral Commission published the form for collecting statements of support.
CRTA observers reported on the process of collecting statements of support for the candidate lists from 11 to 14 September from more than 60 cities and municipalities, and direct observation covered more than 170 collection points.
CRTA has gathered information pointing to a series of unlawful acts in connection with the candidacy of the list "United Serbia", as well as aggravating circumstances for the "Student List" and opposition actors in this process.
The most serious are the findings that some statements of support for the governing list were prepared or certified without the voter being personally present. Numerous cases of pressure on employees and of political mobbing were also recorded, as was the use of the position of the heads of public institutions, and isolated cases of the organised bringing in of citizens belonging to vulnerable groups of the population. A separate set of questions concerns the use of public premises and resources, and the availability of certifying officers to particular candidate lists in particular places in Serbia.
The most serious are the findings that some statements of support for the governing list were prepared or certified without the voter being personally present. Numerous cases of pressure on employees and of political mobbing were also recorded, as was the use of the position of the heads of public institutions, and isolated cases of the organised bringing in of citizens belonging to vulnerable groups of the population. A separate set of questions concerns the use of public premises and resources, and the availability of certifying officers to particular candidate lists in particular places in Serbia.
"The coordinator said that citizens whose identity cards are brought in do not have to appear in person to give a signature, it is enough for their scanned identity card to be brought in."
"All activists were given the task of collecting the identity cards of people who would not be able to come in person."
"We have 230 in the books and 250 in identity cards... Ours are in the party, and the rest that they have in identity cards they are 'transferring onto paper'."
"To a female colleague on a fixed-term contract she said: 'Tomorrow you are signing a contract, think carefully about what you are going to do.'"
"All activists were given the task of collecting the identity cards of people who would not be able to come in person."
"We have 230 in the books and 250 in identity cards... Ours are in the party, and the rest that they have in identity cards they are 'transferring onto paper'."
"To a female colleague on a fixed-term contract she said: 'Tomorrow you are signing a contract, think carefully about what you are going to do.'"
What CRTA observers recorded during the collection of statements of support
Contrary to the law
Certification of signatures without the voter present, by third parties, so that identity is not established.
Recorded with “United Serbia”
The most direct allegations about the use of citizens’ data without their presence were recorded in Mladenovac. A source who, by his own account, took part directly in collecting identity cards said that activists were given the task of bringing in 15 scanned documents each, belonging to people who would not come to the collection point. He also said that a quota of between 1,500 and 1,800 signatures had been set for that municipality. The same pattern appears in a later account by an activist who took part directly in collecting signatures in the lobby of the Mladenovac Municipality building. After the official party profile announced that the collection had been completed, the activist said that the documentation was still being processed. These allegations directly raise the question whether the data from the identity cards brought in were used to prepare or certify statements without the presence of the people to whom they relate.
Influence on notaries and municipal certifying officers not to apply the law, in favour of a political actor.
Recorded in favour of “United Serbia”
According to a source, one citizen attempted to submit, alongside his own document, his wife’s identity card as well, so that support would be recorded in her name too. The municipal certifying officers working at the collection point at first refused, but the citizen then turned to the party coordinator. “After that he turned to the SNS coordinator and threatened her that, if his request was not met, he would not give his signature either. […] After that she told him to hand her the documents and wait, that she would enter them.”
Questionable possession of citizens’ personal documents by third parties, and suspicion of the misuse of voter data.
Recorded with “United Serbia”
In Stanišić, in the territory of Sombor, a source reported that one person in a café had a large number of identity cards at his disposal and was calling citizens to come and give their support to the SNS list. According to the same account, the officials at the location were officers authorised to certify from the municipal administration, and not public notaries. “In the café […] he had some thirty identity cards at his disposal, they say he shuffled them like playing cards, while calling people and pressing them to come and sign support for the SNS list.” It has not been established to whom the documents belonged, why they were in the possession of one person, or whether their owners subsequently came to sign statements. Nevertheless, the possession of a large number of other people’s personal documents in the immediate vicinity of certifying officers requires further checking and establishment of the facts by the competent authorities.
Political mobbing in public institutions and in public and private enterprises, so that employees give their support to a future candidate.
Recorded with “United Serbia”
The most direct account was recorded at the Centre for Medical Biochemistry of the Clinical Centre of Serbia. According to a source, the director told a group of younger employees that it “would be as well” for them to go to the SNS collection point in Savski Venac, and asked them to let her know whether they would come. A particularly serious allegation concerns an employee on a fixed-term contract. According to later information from the same source, around ten employees were sent to the collection point. Pressure on employees who do not have a fixed-term contract, or employees who feared for their jobs, was recorded in Ćuprija, Mladenovac (Belgrade) and Zaječar. Organised arrivals of employees, often together with directors and superiors, were recorded in Ćićevac, Smederevska Palanka, Kragujevac, Sombor, Čačak, Voždovac (Belgrade), Zaječar,
Pressure on voters from vulnerable social categories.
Recorded with “United Serbia”
Grounds for concern are provided by the case from Ćićevac, where an observer recorded the joint arrival of the director of the Centre for Social Work, employees, and a large number of social assistance beneficiaries. CRTA has learned from several sources that their arrival was not voluntary.
Misuse of public resources.
Recorded with “United Serbia”
A particular case is the Umčari Cultural Centre in Grocka. On the Instagram account of SNS Grocka, the Umčari Cultural Centre was listed as one of the places for collecting statements of support. It is therefore necessary to establish the status and ownership of the building, the legal basis on which it was made available, any fee paid, and whether it was available on equal terms to other candidate lists.
Refusal of the scheduled municipal certifying officers to come out into the field.
Recorded with the Student List
In Niš a protest was held on 12 September after the Student List was told that City Administration officials authorised to certify would not come out the following day to the collection points it had registered, even though the request for their engagement had been filed on 10 September for the period from Friday to Monday. The reasons for the initial refusal were not publicly explained. After the protest, certification nevertheless resumed on 13 September at three locations. Footage of the protest
In accordance with the law, or not necessarily contrary to it
Copying an identity card when identity is established before a notary or a municipal certifying officer; arriving with a previously scanned or copied identity card.
Recorded with “United Serbia” and the “Student List”
Activists collect the identity cards of those gathered so that they can be scanned in advance, the form automatically filled in with the voter’s data and handed to the voter together with the identity card for signature before a notary or certifying officer.
Recorded with “United Serbia” and the “Student List”
Source: CRTA Election Observation Mission, 11-14 September 2026. Tap a number to open the note.
"Today the whole Waterworks is here."
"People looked as though they were being brought in and taken away in an organised manner, and that they were mostly employees of public enterprises."
"People looked as though they were being brought in and taken away in an organised manner, and that they were mostly employees of public enterprises."
Individual cases of intimidation for publicly supporting lists that do not belong to the governing side were also recorded.
In Kragujevac the mother of a child with cystic fibrosis was, according to her own statement, removed from a patient support group immediately after she posted a photograph from the queue to sign for the Student List.
N1 reported the case, as did a video published on Facebook.
In Kraljevo a threat was addressed to an activist of the Party of Freedom and Justice during the collection of signatures: "We will crush you if we do not collect enough."
In Kraljevo a threat was addressed to an activist of the Party of Freedom and Justice during the collection of signatures: "We will crush you if we do not collect enough."
Analysis of signature certification and its geographical distribution by list and candidate
An analysis of the instances and geographical locations of signature certification for all five submitted candidate lists shows a pronounced imbalance in the way the lists collected the required number of signatures. The governing coalition lists "United Serbia - Aleksandar Vučić" and "Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability", and the minority lists, certified the great majority of their signatures through municipal and city administrations. The opposition Student List, by contrast, certified almost four fifths of its signatures before public notaries.
This difference points to a different pattern in the use of the available certification channels between the lists, and not necessarily to a general lack of signature certification capacity in the country.
As regards the geographical distribution of the signatures collected, the lists differ substantially both in the extent of the territory they covered and in how evenly they collected within that territory. The lists "United Serbia" and the Student List had the widest geographical spread of signature certification - they did so in the largest number of municipalities, 161 and 76 respectively. With the Student List, however, this was more even - no single location accounts for more than 5% of its total signatures. With the socialists' list, on the other hand, there is a more pronounced concentration - in Jagodina alone 12% of the total signatures of the list "Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability" were certified.
Jagodina also stands out in that it is the only place where SNS has exclusively notarial certification; the strongest place for SPS, with 2,608 signatures; one of the strongest places for the Student List, with 1,872; and the place where the Student List has almost three times more signatures than SNS.
The minority lists operated in a considerably smaller number of municipalities (13 and 29 respectively). It remains unclear how, nevertheless, it is important to stress that with the list of Rasim Ljajić the concentration is extremely high in absolute terms as well - Novi Pazar alone accounts for 43% of all the signatures of that list, and just five municipalities for as much as 86%, which is the highest concentration among all the lists and merits attention in the further verification of the credibility of the signatures.
This difference points to a different pattern in the use of the available certification channels between the lists, and not necessarily to a general lack of signature certification capacity in the country.
As regards the geographical distribution of the signatures collected, the lists differ substantially both in the extent of the territory they covered and in how evenly they collected within that territory. The lists "United Serbia" and the Student List had the widest geographical spread of signature certification - they did so in the largest number of municipalities, 161 and 76 respectively. With the Student List, however, this was more even - no single location accounts for more than 5% of its total signatures. With the socialists' list, on the other hand, there is a more pronounced concentration - in Jagodina alone 12% of the total signatures of the list "Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability" were certified.
Jagodina also stands out in that it is the only place where SNS has exclusively notarial certification; the strongest place for SPS, with 2,608 signatures; one of the strongest places for the Student List, with 1,872; and the place where the Student List has almost three times more signatures than SNS.
The minority lists operated in a considerably smaller number of municipalities (13 and 29 respectively). It remains unclear how, nevertheless, it is important to stress that with the list of Rasim Ljajić the concentration is extremely high in absolute terms as well - Novi Pazar alone accounts for 43% of all the signatures of that list, and just five municipalities for as much as 86%, which is the highest concentration among all the lists and merits attention in the further verification of the credibility of the signatures.
Signature certification by list - notaries versus municipal and city administrations
Notaries / natural persons
Municipal or city administration
Court
| List | Total signatures | Notaries / natural persons (%) | Municipal or city administration (%) | Court (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia | 223,933 | 19% | 81% | 0% | |
| Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability | 21,266 | 33% | 66% | 1% | |
| Student List - Students Are Winning | 69,947 | 78% | 22% | 0% | |
| Rasim Ljajić - Ljudski (SDP-CDP) | 8,053 | 11% | 87% | 2% | |
| Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians - Dr Bálint Pásztor | 9,533 | 10% | 90% | 0% |
Source: CRTA, based on the certification records submitted with the candidate lists.
Cases of unequal access to public notaries and municipal certifying officers
CRTA's observation mission recorded, across the country, situations in which the Student List and some opposition parties had difficulty scheduling signature certification with public notaries or municipal certifying officers, which created uncertainty as to whether they would manage to collect and certify the necessary 10,000 signatures. There were also recorded cases of public notaries attempting to cancel or move a scheduled certification. Although they did come out in the end, there was delay and reduced certification capacity during the process itself. The actors of the governing side gathered around "United Serbia - Aleksandar Vučić" and "Ivica Dačić - A Factor of Stability", by contrast, reported no such problems.
In assessing the availability of certification it is necessary to distinguish public notaries from the officials of municipal and city administrations authorised to certify.
With the changes to the law during the 2020 elections, both models were permitted again - from 2017 until that point the entire procedure had, on ODIHR’s recommendation, been transferred exclusively to public notaries in order to increase the transparency and integrity of the process.
Municipal certifying officers and public notaries differ in the way they are engaged, in their capacities, and in their responsibility for organisation. The problems should therefore not be reduced to a “shortage of notaries”.
Furthermore, a request that certification before a public notary be scheduled at the weekend is not a sufficient reason for refusing it. Article 10a of the Rulebook provides that public notaries are obliged to certify statements of support outside working hours, on public holidays and on other non-working days, with no right to an increased fee. If they refuse to perform the act, under Articles 53 and 53a of the Law on Public Notaries they are obliged to issue a decision, against which an objection may be lodged with the court. The deadlines of eight days for an objection and eight working days for the court’s decision can, however, hardly provide protection during the short period for collecting signatures. A complaint may also be lodged with the Notary Chamber and the Ministry of Justice.
Law on parliamentary elections, Article 72.
Rulebook, Article 10a; Law on Public Notaries, Articles 53 and 53a
In Niš a protest was held on 12 September after the Student List was told that City Administration officials authorised to certify would not come out the following day to the collection points it had registered, even though the request for their engagement had been filed on 10 September for the period from Friday to Monday. The reasons for the initial refusal were not publicly explained. After the protest, certification nevertheless resumed on 13 September at three locations.
These cases also reveal pressure on public notaries. In Ruma, according to a representative of the Student List, two public notaries first said they were not available over the weekend. One of them, without any formal explanation, reportedly said: "I know where I live." After information about the notaries' unavailability was made public, both offered slots for Sunday - one at the collection point, the other in his own office. An almost identical case was recorded in Zrenjanin.
The report from Velika Plana stands out in particular. According to documentation submitted to the observer, a female public notary first confirmed full-day slots for Saturday and Sunday, and then cancelled them on Friday evening, explaining that she had not yet finished certifying signatures for SNS. Since SNS announced the submission of its signatures the very next morning, it is necessary to check the notary's hours of engagement, the correspondence with both lists, and the real reasons for the cancellation.
In Smederevska Palanka one municipal administration official worked until 3 p.m., while a public notary, who had previously cancelled, continued certifying from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In Zaječar certification began on time with two notaries, but later, while several hundred citizens were waiting, only one remained. According to the observer's report, the head of the City Administration refused to extend the collection beyond 8 p.m.
The other problems recorded concerned above all capacity and organisation. In Kragujevac a notary was about 45 minutes late, after which certification continued, while in Vračar the wait of several hours was linked to the high turnout and to technical problems. In Knjaževac a notary certified signatures in his own office, so citizens went to him after the documentation had been prepared at the collection point. These cases should certainly not be equated with a refusal to certify.
Other lists also reported problems. In Vršac a female public notary cancelled a previously accepted certification for the list "The People's Choice", so the collection was moved to Monday. On the same day in Vršac, certification for the list "European Serbia" was organised from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but from the available data it is not possible to establish why these lists had different conditions. In Kruševac the certifying officers did not turn up on the Friday on which the collection of signatures for "Authentic Right" was due to begin, while the following day two certifying officers came. Representatives of the People's Movement of Serbia showed the observer messages indicating the cancellation or limited availability of public notaries and municipal certifying officers in Beočin, Vršac, Bački Petrovac, Kikinda, Vrbas, Novi Bečej and Bačka Topola. The claims about the reasons for the cancellations and about possible pressure require further verification.
Allegations of unequal access to certification were also recorded in Sombor. Representatives of five opposition parties stated that over the weekend three female public notaries had refused them, explaining that they were busy. One of those notaries certified signatures for the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians on 14 September from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
These cases also reveal pressure on public notaries. In Ruma, according to a representative of the Student List, two public notaries first said they were not available over the weekend. One of them, without any formal explanation, reportedly said: "I know where I live." After information about the notaries' unavailability was made public, both offered slots for Sunday - one at the collection point, the other in his own office. An almost identical case was recorded in Zrenjanin.
The report from Velika Plana stands out in particular. According to documentation submitted to the observer, a female public notary first confirmed full-day slots for Saturday and Sunday, and then cancelled them on Friday evening, explaining that she had not yet finished certifying signatures for SNS. Since SNS announced the submission of its signatures the very next morning, it is necessary to check the notary's hours of engagement, the correspondence with both lists, and the real reasons for the cancellation.
In Smederevska Palanka one municipal administration official worked until 3 p.m., while a public notary, who had previously cancelled, continued certifying from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In Zaječar certification began on time with two notaries, but later, while several hundred citizens were waiting, only one remained. According to the observer's report, the head of the City Administration refused to extend the collection beyond 8 p.m.
The other problems recorded concerned above all capacity and organisation. In Kragujevac a notary was about 45 minutes late, after which certification continued, while in Vračar the wait of several hours was linked to the high turnout and to technical problems. In Knjaževac a notary certified signatures in his own office, so citizens went to him after the documentation had been prepared at the collection point. These cases should certainly not be equated with a refusal to certify.
Other lists also reported problems. In Vršac a female public notary cancelled a previously accepted certification for the list "The People's Choice", so the collection was moved to Monday. On the same day in Vršac, certification for the list "European Serbia" was organised from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but from the available data it is not possible to establish why these lists had different conditions. In Kruševac the certifying officers did not turn up on the Friday on which the collection of signatures for "Authentic Right" was due to begin, while the following day two certifying officers came. Representatives of the People's Movement of Serbia showed the observer messages indicating the cancellation or limited availability of public notaries and municipal certifying officers in Beočin, Vršac, Bački Petrovac, Kikinda, Vrbas, Novi Bečej and Bačka Topola. The claims about the reasons for the cancellations and about possible pressure require further verification.
Allegations of unequal access to certification were also recorded in Sombor. Representatives of five opposition parties stated that over the weekend three female public notaries had refused them, explaining that they were busy. One of those notaries certified signatures for the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians on 14 September from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Media reporting on the collection and submission of signatures
RTS covered the collection of signatures and the submission of the candidate lists in Dnevnik 2. On the first day, the report on the collection of signatures for the list "Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia" included footage of citizens giving their support, as well as a statement by Aleksandar Vučić after he had signed for the list himself. Vučić said that several tens of thousands of signatures had been collected in less than an hour and thanked citizens for their support, which he linked to the country's progress, the preservation of peace and stability, and rising living standards. The following day, the election block of Dnevnik 2 opened with a report on the submission of the SNS list and a statement by Miloš Vučević, after which RTS briefly reported on the collection of signatures for the Student List, the European coalition and the list of the coalition around SPS.
The observation mission's findings from the field on the collection of signatures are complemented by the way influential pro-government media reported on this process. The collection of signatures for the list "Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia" was presented as a demonstration of mass support and political strength, with formulations such as "Serbia has risen to its feet", "rivers of people", "an unprecedented turnout" and "the people trust Vučić unconditionally", while the number of signatures and the speed with which they were collected were highlighted as records. By contrast, that day's collection of signatures for the "Student List - Students Are Winning", with queues of citizens recorded in several cities, did not receive comparable treatment. The turnout of citizens was largely not in focus, while part of the reporting was directed at presenting the list negatively. At the same time, critically oriented media emphasised the large turnout and the queues of citizens during the collection of signatures for the Student List, while reporting on the collection of signatures for the SNS list was accompanied by questions about possible pressure on employees in the public sector. In this way, the reporting on one and the same process further demonstrated the pronounced polarisation of the media space.
The observation mission's findings from the field on the collection of signatures are complemented by the way influential pro-government media reported on this process. The collection of signatures for the list "Aleksandar Vučić - United Serbia" was presented as a demonstration of mass support and political strength, with formulations such as "Serbia has risen to its feet", "rivers of people", "an unprecedented turnout" and "the people trust Vučić unconditionally", while the number of signatures and the speed with which they were collected were highlighted as records. By contrast, that day's collection of signatures for the "Student List - Students Are Winning", with queues of citizens recorded in several cities, did not receive comparable treatment. The turnout of citizens was largely not in focus, while part of the reporting was directed at presenting the list negatively. At the same time, critically oriented media emphasised the large turnout and the queues of citizens during the collection of signatures for the Student List, while reporting on the collection of signatures for the SNS list was accompanied by questions about possible pressure on employees in the public sector. In this way, the reporting on one and the same process further demonstrated the pronounced polarisation of the media space.
