TRANSPARENCY SERBIA WARNS OF WORSE ELECTORAL CONDITIONS: The October 25 elections will be less favorable than in 2023!

The non-governmental organization Transparency Serbia announced today that the elections, scheduled for October 25, will be held under significantly worse conditions than those in 2023, regardless of amendments to several laws that are important for the elections.

In its statement, Transparency pointed out that some of the key recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) have not been adopted, either in regulations or in the practices of state authorities and officials, and that they concern pressure on voters and the pre-election distribution of money.

“Almost one billion euros has been allocated for this purchase of support in the budget revision, while around 430 million euros was distributed before the 2023 elections,” Transparency recalls.

Recent amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Corruption will be of little help in regulating officials’ campaigns, because the new restrictions apply only to some officials and to the final part of the campaign, while room has been left for exceptions that make it easy to circumvent them, the statement adds.

When it comes to campaign financing, Transparency adds that there have been changes, but they are insufficient.

“The spending limit has finally been established, but at an absurdly high level, six million euros for parliamentary elections, which is twice as much as in countries comparable to Serbia,” the statement adds, pointing out that nothing has been done to specify, tighten and prescribe sanctions for violations of the Law on the Financing of Political Activities and the Law on the Prevention of Corruption for all forms of violations of the rules.

Transparency Serbia warned that even perfect laws are of little value in a situation where key institutions, such as the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and public prosecutors’ offices, do not proactively investigate their violations, do not establish all the facts even following reports, or issue warnings instead of initiating penalty proceedings.

“Having all this in mind, the claims from the Serbian Government’s rationale for dissolving Parliament that electoral conditions have been additionally and significantly improved while taking into account the views of political actors, and especially the ODIHR recommendations, do not have sufficient grounding in the facts,” Transparency assessed.