Serbia must take Democracy and Fundamentals seriously

After the 2020 boycott, the 2022 Serbian elections demonstrated positive developments as a significant number of voters was eager to participate. Serbia will once again have a pluralistic and diverse Parliament.

However, the elections in Serbia were neither free nor fair.

Numerous issues were reported before and during the election day that hinder the expression of free will and prevent a fair competitive environment. The direct pressure on voters who work in public administration, abuse of media and state resources, physical assault on the opposition leader Pavle Grbović and election controllers of the MORAMO coalition as well as the closing down of the Central Election Committee on the election night, publishing neither preliminary results nor voter turnout, altogether indicate the impossibility to have a free and fair choice.

Fundamental rights issues were once again reported in the Preševo valley, as we are seriously concerned about the complaints of ethnic Albanians who were denied to vote since deleted from the civil registry at the place of their residence, which is unacceptable and we will closely follow-up on these reports.

Aspiring to join the EU, Serbia must adhere to its fundamental values first. The ruling SNS and re-elected President Aleksandar Vučić have the renewed mandate and thus the duty to restore democracy and the rule of law, and take the EU integration process reforms seriously.

Serbia must also fully align to the EU sanctions against Russia following Putin’s war against Ukraine urgently or will face serious political and financial consequences. It is therefore high time for Serbia to make a clear pro-European choice if it wants to continue its EU accession path.