Schieder: We Saw Evidence of Mass Phantom Registration of Voters

Voting in Serbia (BetaPhoto/Emil Vas)

Andreas Schieder, head of the delegation of the Social Democratic Party of Austria in the European Parliament, who was an observer in the elections in Serbia, said on Dec. 24 that they were not fair because there were reports of violations of the secrecy of voting.

"Aside from violations of the secrecy of voting, there were reports of a mass phantom registration of voters and busing in, and of vote buying and the photographing of ballot boxes. Previously, there were concerns about the intimidation and mistreatment of journalists. This raises suspicion that there were irregularities, which should be investigated independently," Schieder told the Danas daily.

He stressed that, along with a long list of accusations and suspicions of irregularities at the elections, it would be important to create a clear image of these issues, and that the best way to do so would be an independent professional investigation that all political actors would accept.

"We observed abuse of public resources, the lack of separation of official functions from campaigning activities, and pressure on voters, including instances of vote buying. Generally speaking, pressure on voters, emphasis on the personal discrediting of opponents and harsh rhetoric during the campaign are quite concerning," Schieder said.