Bribery and Intimidation: OSCE Finds Gross Election Irregularities in Serbia

International observers from the OSCE have stated that the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) unfairly won the early parliamentary elections held this Sunday, including due to media bias and gross voting irregularities such as vote buying. 

This is stated in the official report of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

According to the official statement released by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, despite the parliamentary elections in Serbia being "technically well-organized" and providing voters with a choice of several political alternatives, the electoral process was marred by irregularities. Specifically, concerns were raised about creating unfair conditions for voting due to the influence of the current president of the country, Aleksandar Vučić, who actively campaigned for his party, SNS, even though he was not listed as a candidate.

Throughout the entire election campaign, observers documented abuses of state resources by the ruling authorities and a lack of clear distinction between official government functions and campaign activities. The monitoring also confirmed instances of voter intimidation and pressure, including cases of vote-buying.

"The low level of political debate, the pressure on the voters, the emphasis on personally discrediting opponents, the harsh rhetoric used during the campaign and, in general, the political life of Serbia, are all very worrying elements," emphasized Clemen Groschel, the head of the European Parliament delegation.

It is worth noting that these are the fifth parliamentary elections in Serbia since 2012. This year's parliamentary vote coincided with local elections in the majority of municipalities. Overall, approximately 6.5 million voters participated in the elections held on Saturday, December 17.

According to the election commission data, the coalition "Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Should Not Stop" emerged as the leader in the parliamentary race, securing 46.67% of the votes. The opposition bloc "Serbia Against Violence" achieved the second-highest result with 23.62%. The coalition "Ivica Dačić – Prime Minister of Serbia" claimed the third position with 6.56% of the votes.

Following the announcement of the parliamentary election results, large-scale protests by supporters of the opposition bloc "Serbia Against Violence" erupted in Belgrade last night. 

Demonstrators took to the streets demanding the annulment of the election results and alleging numerous cases of falsifications. Opposition leaders Marinika Tepić and Miroslav Aleksić declared a hunger strike.