New information
N1 saznaje: U biračkom spisku u Zaječaru preminuli, interno raseljeni i birači bez prebivališta
that has emerged about the state of the voter register in Zaječar, specifically the fact that the records include deceased persons, internally displaced persons, and other individuals without the required registered residence in the city, provides additional grounds for the assessment of CRTA’s Observation Mission that the results of the local elections in Zaječar do not reflect the electoral will of citizens. Consequently, the authorities established on the basis of these results cannot have democratic legitimacy.
The problems identified in Zaječar, similar to those CRTA found in earlier electoral cycles, particularly during the Belgrade elections CRTA, Preliminarni nalazi o organizovanoj migraciji birača in December 2023, once again confirm the need for a comprehensive and transparent revision of the voter register, as well as the establishment of criminal and other forms of responsibility for manipulations involving this fundamental electoral document.
One of the key recommendations repeatedly made by ODIHR for years concerns the implementation of a process of a full and independent audit of the voter register, which should be fully transparent and include representatives of the government, the opposition, and expert civil society organizations.
However, the authorities have on several occasions attempted only to simulate such a process, preventing real progress toward concrete solutions that would go beyond cosmetic changes. Such solutions are largely contained in CRTA’s proposal for a Law on the Unified Voter Register. The level of independence and integrity of the Commission for the audit of the voter register, as envisioned in CRTA’s draft law, is clearly not something the authorities are ready to accept, as they continue to insist on party-instructed decision-making and the dominance of partisan over public interest.
It is a matter of the highest public interest that Serbia has an accurate, up-to-date voter register protected from abuse, and CRTA points to the need for a broad social dialogue on this issue.
The authorities’ unwillingness to stop manipulations of voter records is also reflected in the fact that CRTA has no information about any action taken regarding the three criminal complaints it filed against members of the Ministry of Interior (MUP) and the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MDULS) due to their role in abuses of the voter register and voter migration during the Belgrade elections in 2023.
Impunity protects parts of institutions that, instead of enforcing and protecting the law, participate in unlawful activities. Therefore, it is encouraging that the service of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government conducted an extraordinary inspection in Zaječar, demonstrating that there are still professionals within state institutions who work responsibly in the public interest.
The problems identified in Zaječar, similar to those CRTA found in earlier electoral cycles, particularly during the Belgrade elections CRTA, Preliminarni nalazi o organizovanoj migraciji birača in December 2023, once again confirm the need for a comprehensive and transparent revision of the voter register, as well as the establishment of criminal and other forms of responsibility for manipulations involving this fundamental electoral document.
One of the key recommendations repeatedly made by ODIHR for years concerns the implementation of a process of a full and independent audit of the voter register, which should be fully transparent and include representatives of the government, the opposition, and expert civil society organizations.
However, the authorities have on several occasions attempted only to simulate such a process, preventing real progress toward concrete solutions that would go beyond cosmetic changes. Such solutions are largely contained in CRTA’s proposal for a Law on the Unified Voter Register. The level of independence and integrity of the Commission for the audit of the voter register, as envisioned in CRTA’s draft law, is clearly not something the authorities are ready to accept, as they continue to insist on party-instructed decision-making and the dominance of partisan over public interest.
It is a matter of the highest public interest that Serbia has an accurate, up-to-date voter register protected from abuse, and CRTA points to the need for a broad social dialogue on this issue.
The authorities’ unwillingness to stop manipulations of voter records is also reflected in the fact that CRTA has no information about any action taken regarding the three criminal complaints it filed against members of the Ministry of Interior (MUP) and the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MDULS) due to their role in abuses of the voter register and voter migration during the Belgrade elections in 2023.
Impunity protects parts of institutions that, instead of enforcing and protecting the law, participate in unlawful activities. Therefore, it is encouraging that the service of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government conducted an extraordinary inspection in Zaječar, demonstrating that there are still professionals within state institutions who work responsibly in the public interest.
