Two Opposition Leaders on Hunger Strike: Only Republic Electoral Commission Can Annul Elections

Marinika Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

Marinika Tepic, one of the leaders of the coalition Serbia Against Violence, who together with her fellow coalition member Miroslav Aleksic on Dec. 18 went on hunger strike at the Republic Election Commission’s (RIK) head office, said on Dec. 19 that the night was calm, but that they were concerned with the decision to prohibit reporters from entering their current room in the building.  

In a statement to TV N1, Tepic denied RIK Chairman Vladimir Dimitrijevic’s statement at a special midnight news conference that during the Dec. 18 protest contesting the elections results, some had attempted to bring knives, batons and sticks into RIK’s head office.

Asked why they had been protesting inside RIK’s building rather than at the Belgrade City Commission, considering their demand for annulling election results in the capital, Tepic replied that “the law clearly allows RIK to annul election results of a local electoral commission, if their results are not in compliance with relevant laws.” “As the local electoral commission is set to adopt the results of the Belgrade election contrary to the law, and thereby legalize general lawlessness which took place on Dec. 18, we demand from RIK to annul the Belgrade election, and that is the only competence of RIK,” Tepic specified.

At the end of Serbia Against Violence protest in Belgrade in the evening on Dec. 18, protesters handed in to RIK, what they called, evidence of electoral fraud in Belgrade. A large number of people gathered outside the RIK’s building to protest results of local and parliamentary elections. The atmosphere was tense throughout the protest, which also saw a few incidents with security guards. Tepic and Aleksic have said they will not end their hunger strike until Belgrade elections have been annulled. Three students were to join them to keep watch inside the RIK’s building, but were not able to do so until midnight.