A decade of election observation; Is everything the same, worse, or better?

Today marks 10 years since the first elections we observed. Is that a short or a long time? In some ways, it feels short because few, if any, of the key problems in the electoral process have been resolved. Long – because many of those problems have deepened or, (if you will forgive the immodesty) have become more visible and clearer to the public, partly thanks to our work.

Unfortunately, it would be easy to conclude that everything is the same, only worse. And when we say everything, we mean pressure on voters, vote buying, distrust in the voter register, the misuse of public resources, officials campaigning while in office, the dominance of propaganda over information… We have witnessed a decade of erasing the line between the state and the ruling party, to the detriment of the state. As a society, we have been punished by the impunity of electoral crime and corruption. A generation has gained the right to vote without ever having experienced normal elections.

More than 20 years ago, CRTA was not founded with the idea that it would one day observe elections. Back then, we believed that the integrity of elections was a basic value that Serbia had irreversibly achieved, and that we would be focusing on the more nuanced aspects of building a democratic culture.

We are not older for nothing; we are also somewhat wiser. Both CRTA and society as a whole. Electoral conditions are indeed worse than they used to be, but over the past year and a half, citizens’ interest in elections has grown significantly, along with the belief that democratic change is possible. It may sound like a paradox, but the hope is real. If we are sufficiently motivated and engaged, despite poor electoral conditions, we can fight for the chance to restore integrity to elections and ensure that some of the next ones are free and fair.

Everything is the same but it will get better.

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