There is growing evidence that Serbia could be heading toward another election cycle, while an unusually large number of citizens are coming forward to help monitor and protect the integrity of the electoral process, CRTA program director Pavle Dimitrijević said.
Dimitrijević said the current period is an important opportunity for citizens who want to participate in safeguarding electoral rights, regardless of whether parliamentary elections are called in the immediate future, noting that presidential elections are also due.
His comments came after Serbia’s Republican Election Commission (RIK) approved the procurement of 30,000 new voting privacy screens, at an estimated cost of around €6 million. RIK has said voters will be able to choose which type of screen they use when casting their ballots.
Dimitrijević argued that the debate over screens and voting booths risks distracting attention from what he described as much more serious unresolved problems in Serbia’s electoral system.
“These problems remain unresolved, and a new electoral process is approaching – that is the whole point of the discussion about the screens,” Dimitrijević said, pointing to voter pressure, impunity for violence and unequal media coverage.
He said privacy screens alone cannot fully guarantee the secrecy of the ballot. While election boards can identify potential violations, such as voters openly casting ballots, using mobile phones or multiple people repeatedly entering the same voting area, the responsibility also lies with voters to protect their own voting rights.
Dimitrijević criticized the authorities’ focus on technical changes while, according to CRTA, cases involving violence, intimidation, blackmail and vote-buying continue to receive inadequate judicial responses.
“We have not seen any progress or different treatment of such cases by the judiciary. On the contrary, investigations are standing still,” he said, adding that public testimonies and recordings of violence had not been followed by an adequate institutional response.
Citizens urged to know and defend their rights
Dimitrijević said voters themselves could play an important role in reducing pressure and irregularities during elections.
He urged citizens to understand their legal rights, resist attempts to influence their vote through money or other forms of pressure, report irregularities to polling-station officials and file complaints when their rights are violated.
He also warned that voters should not be expected to rely entirely on institutions to protect them, arguing that greater public awareness of electoral rights could itself have a deterrent effect on those attempting to manipulate the process.
Dimitrijević also pointed to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which has recommended sending a full election observation mission to Serbia. He said the proposed mission would be around 20 percent larger than the one deployed for the December 2023 elections.
According to Dimitrijević, the scale of the proposed monitoring effort is an indication of the seriousness with which international observers view Serbia’s electoral environment.
Record interest in election monitoring
Despite concerns about the electoral environment, Dimitrijević said CRTA was encouraged by the growing number of citizens volunteering to participate in election monitoring.
“Many people are contacting CRTA every day, wanting to participate in the electoral process and defend its integrity,” he said.
Citizens have been volunteering to serve as election observers and polling-station board members, while others have been reporting suspected irregularities.
Dimitrijević said the level of interest was unprecedented in his experience, with people from a wide range of backgrounds coming forward to share personal experiences and express a desire for political change.
“Even people from whom you would least expect to talk about elections are coming forward with a desire for something to change in this country and to defend the integrity of elections,” he said.
He argued that the growing public engagement could become an important factor in the next election cycle, particularly amid concerns over political pressure, violence and the use of state resources during campaigns.
Dimitrijević said the appearance of potential election dates in public debate was another indication that elections could be approaching.
“Elections appear to be certain, but regardless of when they are called, this is simply an election year,” he said, urging everyone interested in monitoring elections and defending electoral integrity to get involved now.
