OSCE Mission completes monitoring of elections for High Judicial Council and State Prosecutors’ Council

The OSCE Mission to Serbia observed the 3 and 23 March elections for six seats on the High Judicial Council and State Prosecutors’ Council, respectively, as part of its support for these bodies, which are important pillars of judicial independence.

The Councils had invited the OSCE Mission to Serbia to observe the elections. The Mission found that both elections provided voters with a broad choice of candidates in a process that respected fundamental rights.

The High Judicial Council's Electoral Commission followed the Mission’s advice and allowed candidates to present their CVs and their platforms through the Council's website. The voting was administered in a professional manner, free of irregularities and was marked by a very high turnout – more than 90 percent of the 2,087 eligible voters cast ballots.

In the State Prosecutors’ Council elections, the Mission observed only the voting, which was administered in a generally efficient and professional manner, with nearly 95 percent of the 507 eligible voters participating.

The Mission recommended that both Councils plan for an even greater degree of awareness among voters on the roles and programmes of the candidates in future elections.