It seems that parliamentary, provincial and local elections in Serbia were administered efficiently, despite the challenging circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the voter choice was limited by the ruling party’s overwhelming advantage and the promotion of government policies by most major media outlets.
The OSCE – through its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR – is the only International Organization that was able to engage in election observation. Because of the special circumstances caused by the pandemic, the mission that was deployed designated as Special Election Assessment Mission (SEAM). While the SEAM’s report will be available in circa six weeks, preliminary findings and conclusions were promptly published shortly after election day.
These findings indicate that parliamentary, provincial and local elections in Serbia were administered efficiently, despite the challenging circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SEAM also noted that “contestants in the elections were able to campaign while voter choice was limited by the ruling party’s overwhelming advantage and the promotion of government policies by most major media outlets”. This situation means that the need for dialogue to bridge political divisions and ensure pluralism is all the more pressing.
We stand ready to continue assisting Serbia in building a pluralistic democracy, which is a key OSCE principle and is essential to the genuine representation of diverse interests in every society.
As we continue to adapt to Serbia’s evolving needs – including through concrete activities and projects to mitigate the impact of Covid-19, always within our mandate – we remain focused on the work we are carrying out in our crucial programmatic areas.
I think, for example, of the implementation of the Media Strategy’s Action plan and of the protection of the safety of journalists. We stand ready to continue assisting Serbia in building a pluralistic democracy, which is a key OSCE principle and is essential to the genuine representation of diverse interests in every society.
The OSCE Mission looks forward to continuing its partnership with all stakeholders to further advance domestic ownership of the reform agenda for the benefit of Serbian citizens. We provide assistance and expertise in key reform areas, modernisation and democratic development: strengthening democratic institutions, fostering the rule of law and security sector reform, as well as supporting professional journalism and free media. We also underline the importance for the Serbian authorities to continue cooperating with OSCE/ODIHR on the implementation of election recommendations.
