VOTER TURNOUT BY 19:00 SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN IN PREVIOUS ELECTIONS

A total of 55,5 percent of citizens voted in the presidential elections by 19:00 (margin of error 0.9 percent). In comparison, voter turnout by 19:00 at the 2022 parliamentary elections amounted to 55,1 percent. 

Voter turnout at parliamentary elections on the territory of Belgrade by 19:00 amounts to 54,8 percent (margin of error 0.4 percent), which is higher than in than in 2022 when the turnout by 19:00 was 52,2 percent. From the last reporting at 16:00 CRTA’s election observation mission submitted additional two complaints to the police on account of electoral corruption, totaling this number to seven complaints. These complaints refer to cases recorded in Novi Beograd, Cukarica, Odzaci, Vrsac, Mali Idjos, and the last cases recorded in front two polling stations in Titel.

In the afternoon and evening hours the trend of significant increase of the number of cases regarding already filled-in ballots and unauthorised presence of third persons at polling stations became clear, especially in Belgrade. In addition, the number of cases where someone signed the Voters’ List on behalf of another voter tripled in Belgrade since the last reporting at 16:00. Very high number of recorded electoral breaches worries, including cases of evidenting voters in parallel voters’ lists, both inside and outside of polling stations, organized transfer of voters to polls, suspicious circling of vehicles around poling stations… 

The number of citizens who reported numerous breaches of their voting rights to CRTA is higher than in any other elections that CRTA observed – they were not found in the Voters’ Lists on polling stations they have been voting at for decades, they were not allowed to vote at home despite being timely registered and having the right to vote at home, someone had already voted on their behalf etc.

Considering the conduct of elections on multiple levels, it is expected that the vote count will last very long. In order to ensure reliability and accuracy of data, CRTA will publicly present preliminary results of elections when information from at least 95 percent of polling stations from its sample is collected and processed. 

Generally, data is first received from smaller polling stations, while processing of information from polling stations with more than a thousand voters could sometimes last for hours. For example, if more data is processed from smaller than from larger polling stations, such a projection of results could be distorted. 

The next conference of the CRTA election observation mission will be held after at least 95 percent of polling stations from both samples (Serbia and Belgrade) are processed. The conference can be followed live at the CRTA’s Facebook page or YouTube channel.