Civil servants and government employees must prioritize law over party interests

Due to indications pointing to possible abuses of state institutions in cases of election corruption, the CRTA Election Observation Mission has sent out letters to around 1600 addresses of officials in city and municipal administrations throughout Serbia, appealing to their personal and professional responsibility, and reminding them that they are legally obligated to protect the integrity of institutions, the public interest, and the citizens’ rights.

“The problems documented in this and previous electoral processes speak of systemic neglect, circumvention, and abuse of institutions of the state of Serbia for gaining unfair advantages in elections,” the letter states, emphasizing the obligations that the addressees have based on various laws and the Code of Conduct for civil servants and government employees. Among other things, they must adhere to the principle of political neutrality, which includes the prohibition of influencing the political orientation of other officials and exerting pressures on citizens, as well as to the duty of handling the personal data of citizens in the prescribed manner.

Regardless of personal political preferences, officials are obligated to impartially and non-selectively apply laws, and the Criminal Code provides for imprisonment and fines for negligent conduct and abuse of position.

Prompted by suspicions of manipulations in voter registries and the falsification of signatures of support for election lists, as well as numerous testimonies of political pressure on employees in administrative bodies and other citizens, the CRTA Election Observation Mission called on leaders in local self-governments not to allow any party or private interest to take precedence over their respect for the laws of the state to which they serve.