Godfrey: If Serbian Government Wants Legitimacy, It Must Secure Fair Elections

Anthony Godfrey (Beta/Milos Miskov)

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Anthony Godfrey, stated on Dec. 5 that the U.S. was concerned about the conditions under which the election in Serbia would be held, assessing that a government that aspired to consider itself legitimate had to secure a fair election.

In a video interview to the Juzne Vesti daily from Nis, Godfrey said that an election boycott was neither fair, nor productive.

My opinion is that an election boycott strips many voters of the possibility to express their opinion. I think it is unfair and unproductive. I would prefer it if politicians had the opportunity to freely express their opinion through participating in TV shows, in order to directly present their goals for Serbia to the voters, so that the voters can make the right decision, Godfrey said.

Godfrey assessed that it was inappropriate for the U.S. ambassador or a foreign embassy to mediate in the dialogue about elections, because the role of the international community is not to be a political player in Serbia. That is the role of the politicians, he added.

However, the ambassador did say that the U.S. was concerned about the conditions under which the election would be held, and that it had conveyed that stance to the Serbian government and to those in charge, who have the possibility to change those conditions.