“Citizens are less and less confident in the up-to-datedness and accuracy of the voters’ register. Although the voter’s register is not the biggest election problem, it certainly is one of the many segments that make the elections free and fair. Losing citizens’ trust negatively affects all the conditions of the electoral process,” was the conclusion brought by the discussion “Everything according to the register?” organised by CRTA within the Festival of Democracy.
The opening ceremony for the “Academy of Democracy” organised by CRTA with the support of OSCE Mission in Serbia and the National Democratic Institute, was held within the Democracy Festival. At the opening, the CRTA director Vukosava Crnjanski point out that for the fourth year in a row, the Academy of Democracy program had been…
The decision of the Special Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad to dismiss a criminal charges pressed against an unknown perpetrator from the municipal administration of Šid as a result of irregularities observed on the day of the local elections in Lučani, is another example of the unwillingness of institutions to enforce laws and to continuously protect fair and free elections.
“Citizens do not have full insight into the violation of legal regulations in the process of financing the election campaign, nor can they get an answer to questions of whether and to what extent funds from various budget sources are misused, as institutions are not sufficiently engaged in resolving this issue and establishing facts“, is the conclusion of the debate “Who’s paying and who’s controlling?“ organised by CRTA within the Festival of Democracy.
Strongly believing that democracy is more powerful than the challenges it faces, this year together with our partners we organize the first Festival of Democracy from 13th to 15th September in Belgrade and many towns across Serbia, aiming to boost optimism and reinforce trust in democracy.
Civil society organisations propose to Members of Parliament to make use of the presence of the candidate, Milan Marinović, for the new Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection at the National Assembly session beginning today and therefore help the public determine what are the attitudes of the candidate regarding the resolution of key problems in the areas of his future work.
In order to contribute to the initiation of the democratic functioning of the Parliament, the CRTA has made 46 recommendations relating to the process of adopting laws, strengthening parliamentary control over the executive, increasing public involvement and improving cooperation with independent institutions.
The process in which the Committee for Culture and Information proposed to the National Assembly Milan Marinović for the new Commissioner for Information of Public Importance Personal Data Protection did not ensure that the choice between the candidates be based on the assessment and comparison of their qualifications, previous specific experience in the fields within the competence of the Commissioner and work plans.
More than 80 civil society organisations, media, business, professional and scientific communities’ representatives are urging MPs to support Nevena Ružić as a candidate for the new Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. We are firmly convinced that Nevena Ružić possesses the expertise, experience and integrity necessary for managing the institution of the Commissioner.
