There will be no local elections in Čačak in two weeks, but allegedly the number of citizens obtaining residence there — and thus the right to vote — is growing. The opposition claims that these are mostly people who officially live in the Republic of Srpska. They even live at house number zero — and perhaps in a fountain?
According to data from the City Administration in Čačak, from May to October of this year, 1,013 people were added to the voter registry. July had the highest number, with 373 people. This information raised suspicion for Ivan Ćalović, councilor of the citizens’ group “Truth and Honor,” because, as he says, around one thousand babies are born in Čačak annually, and the number of children born in 2007 has already been surpassed within a six-month period.
“A few days ago, I received information that 138 voters were registered at Ključka Street numbers 86 and 87 in Čačak. I was surprised how that is possible, because there are no apartment buildings or excessive construction in that street. I went to check and found that these are family residential properties,” Ivan Ćalović told N1.
The City Administration does not specify how many of those registered in a given month moved to Čačak, and how many simply reached adulthood. Ćalović tells N1 that, according to his information, most people came from Višegrad.
“Thus, Višegrad from the Republic of Srpska has been designated to ‘cover’ Čačak. And they are coming en masse. It’s simply unbelievable. I didn’t even know Čačak was an attractive destination. On the other hand, they definitely have a political order to be the tipping point when presidential or parliamentary elections are called next year,” Ćalović says.
“I was the president of the election committee in the Gymnasium. People from Rogatica in Bosnia and Herzegovina came asking to vote. I asked them where they lived, and they said in Rogatica. Then I asked them where they live in Čačak. They said they didn’t know and that the police registered them,” says activist Aleksandra Ćurčić.
Recalling last year’s local elections, activist Aleksandra Ćurčić tells N1 that the most shocking example was voters being registered at an address where a fountain is located in the center of Čačak.
“This should be a city promenade with the number zero. Because we did not receive information from the City Administration about where that address is. So we concluded that maybe it’s the fountain and that 50 people live here. We also checked the surrounding buildings and none have the number zero,” the activist recounts.
Amendments to the Law on the Unified Voter Registry adopted a few days ago introduce changes such as publishing voters by household and forming a Commission for the Revision of the Voter Registry. However, these measures will only take effect in six months. And part of the public doubts they will be implemented.
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Source: n1, Foto: printscreen NIN