Opposition Proposes Electoral Activities Stop

Ana Brnabic (Photo: Serbian Government/Pedja Vuckovic)

In a document submitted to the Serbian speaker, Ana Brnabic, on April 12, the Serbia Against Violence coalition demanded that election activities launched after an April 3 decision to call new elections be suspended, because the legal framework for conducting the polls had yet to be agreed on, due to the failure to implement the ODIHR's recommendations.

The document, which BETA was able to examine, suggests further work on implementing ODIHR recommendations, with clear priorities specified first. The opposition coalition also proposed that the necessary legislative amendments be prepared to effectively implement the ODIHR's recommendations through an inclusive and transparent process, in accordance with the ODIHR's Priority Recommendation No. 1, as stated in the organization’s report of  Feb. 28, 2024.

"The establishment of a parliamentary working group comprising MPs nominated by the government and the opposition, as well as representatives of civil society. To ensure inclusivity, each parliamentary group should appoint one member, a graduate of law (unless there are none in a parliamentary group), and civil society organizations (CRTA, CeSID, and Transparency Serbia) should also appoint one representative each," the coalition suggests in the document.

The task of the working group is to draft legislative proposals to fulfill all ODIHR recommendations. The working group will bring decisions based on a majority vote within each of the three groupings – government MPs, opposition MPs and civil society organizations.