Serbian Watchdog Claims Voters’ Rights Under Threat Ahead of Elections

Protesters outside Republic Electoral Commission in Belgrade on Wednesday at a rally organised by the opposition Student List. Photo: Gavrilo Andric. Serbian election watchdog CRTA asserted on Thursday that citizens’ electoral rights and freedoms are being undermined by intimidation, violence and unlawful surveillance ahead of the October 25 parliamentary elections. CRTA’s election monitoring report claimed that opposition figures have been subjected to unlawful surveillance and police operations. It also claimed that pro-government politicians and media had spread “manipulative narratives” about alleged opposition plans to incite unrest and overthrow the constitutional order. CRTA’s monitoring found that nearly 1,500 articles in pro-government online media warned of chaos and violence on election day, while an average of seven articles daily portrayed opposition activities as an attempted “colour revolution”, referencing the popular revolts that toppled authoritarian, pro-Moscow governments in Ukraine and elsewhere. CRTA programme director Rasa Nedeljkov said another key issue was “widespread electoral engineering” , which “clearly involves Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs”. According to CRTA, around 22,000 Serbian citizens living abroad could effectively be denied the right to vote because of the decision not to open polling stations in all countries where sufficient numbers of voters had registered. “The ministry made a poorly explained, vague and unconvincing decision not to open polling stations in countries where a sufficient number of voters had registered to vote,” Nedeljkov said. Nedeljkov said another example of “electoral engineering” was the “unrealistic decision by the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) requiring voters in all time zones to cast their ballots according to Serbian time, making it even more difficult for them to exercise their right to vote”. The new rule rule obliging voters abroad to follow polling hours based on Central European Time means some diaspora Serbians would have to cast ballots in the middle of the night. The report also highlighted unequal media coverage, saying opposition parties have received half as much airtime as the ruling parties on national television, much of it negative. On the public broadcaster, RTS, the opposition has received just 15 per cent of airtime devoted to political actors, largely due to mandatory election coverage segments. Nedeljkov said the mission was alarmed by persistent efforts to incite hostility towards independent election observers like CRTA. “Allegations that first appear on marginal social media accounts, often newly created, quickly gain traction in pro-government media outlets and even in statements by senior state officials. CRTA is portrayed as a tool of foreign intelligence services, a covert political actor and a participant in a conspiracy to overthrow the state,” Nedeljkov said. He said such actions threaten not only citizens’ rights and freedoms but also the safety of everyone “who wishes to devote their time and energy to election monitoring in the interest of democracy in this country, with the aim of ensuring free and fair elections”. CRTA reported that one in three campaign activities by the ruling “Aleksandar Vucic – United Serbia” list monitored on the ground had involved elements of manipulation or potential legal violations, including suspected signature forgery, misuse of public resources and public office, and offering money, assistance or jobs in exchange for political support. The watchdog also accused the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, REM, and the Anti-Corruption Agency of contributing to the ruling party’s advantage by failing to consistently enforce the law.