In the second half of the campaign for the Belgrade City Assembly elections, there has been an increase in campaign activities, as well as a trend of local policy issues being overshadowed by national topics promoted by top government officials. Part of the public had hoped that the inter-party dialogue aimed at improving election conditions,…
The conclusion of the campaign for the Belgrade elections is marked by chronic electoral issues – blurring the line between state and party, increased voter pressure, more unscrupulous manipulation of vulnerable population groups, and misuse of public resources for party promotion. These findings are detailed in the Second Interim Report of Long-Term Election Observation, which…
The first part of the campaign was marked by the previously established erasure of the boundary between the state and the ruling party, as well as divisions among former allies from the pro-European opposition bloc regarding the question of a boycott. These observations are highlighted in today’s First interim report of long term election observation…
The campaign for the Belgrade elections officially began practically at the same time as the political dialogue on improving electoral conditions. It remains uncertain whether the measures discussed in the parliamentary dialogue will extend to the Belgrade elections on June 2nd or if these discussions are merely symbolic gestures for the distant future. This ambiguity…
Responsibility of institutions, accurate voter registry, professional media work, and protection of citizens from political pressures – these are the four priority areas we’ve defined for further work on implementing ODIHR’s electoral recommendations, in the proposal we’ve submitted to the President of the National Assembly within a deadline of less than 24 hours. For the…
With less than five weeks until the elections, it is deeply concerning that issues regarding the voter register are becoming increasingly complicated, while the procedures of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government are becoming less transparent and harder to understand. In response to the information released by CRTA which states that between December…
Key issues such as pressure on voters, significant media inequality, compromise of the Voter Registry, and blurring the lines between state and party are, unfortunately, not on the agenda of this meeting – said Rasa Nedeljkov, CRTA’s Program Director, at a meeting held today in the parliament at the invitation of Ana Brnabic, President of…
Read the full speech of Rasa Nedeljkov, Crta’s Program Director and Chief of the Crta’s Election Observation Mission at the session of the European Economic and Social Council in Brussels held on 5 April 2024. Months have passed since the December Elections, and a new election cycle is in sight, but the government keeps denying a…
BLURRED LINE BETWEEN THE STATE AND THE PARTY Finding: “dominated by the decisive involvement of the President, which, together with the ruling party’s systemic advantages, created unjust conditions” Finding: “pressure on public sector employees, misuse of public resources, and voter inducement schemes raised concerns about voters’ ability to make a choice free from undue…
