Skip navigation

0Meta Navigation

× Close search

Navigation

Home Newsroom News and press releases Serbia presidential and early parliamentary elections 2022: ODIHR election observation mission final report
Newsroom

Serbia presidential and early parliamentary elections 2022: ODIHR election observation mission final report

19 August 2022
(OSCE)

The 3 April 2022 presidential and early parliamentary elections in Serbia presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field favouring the incumbents. Recent legislative amendments adopted after extensive discussions among the ruling parties and the opposition included some welcome improvements, but key aspects of the electoral process require further reform.

These are some main conclusions from the final report on the April elections published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Key recommendations include:

  • Reviewing the legislation to further address the misuse of administrative resources and access to media and eliminate remaining gaps and inconsistencies well before the next elections;
  • Introducing standardized mandatory training for all local electoral commission and polling board members;
  • Conducting a full audit of the voter and civil registers as soon as possible;
  • Revising the law to provide for a clear separation between the incumbents' official functions and campaigning activities and proactively addressing violations;
  • Implementing effective legal and institutional oversight mechanisms to prevent intimidation and pressure on voters, including employees of public and state institutions;
  • Introducing regulation of third-party campaigning and provisions on effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions for violations and inadequate reporting;
  • Strengthening the independence of the Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and explicitly defining its responsibilities during the campaign period by law;
  • Publishing clear, consistent and timely instructions and decisions on all election-day procedures that are not sufficiently regulated by the statutory law;
  • Taking measures to enhance the effectiveness of dispute resolution including through substantive review of all election day-related complaints.

The ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 3 April 2022 presidential and early parliamentary elections commenced its work on 22 February 2022 and remained in the country until 15 April.

All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.