International observers: The ubiquitous president undermined fair elections

At the press conference of the ODIHR mission, it was said that the campaign featured harsh rhetoric and abuse of public funds.

Media watchdogs have been ineffective during this election period and REM has been "passive", the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe body said. As stated, the elections were technically well organized, but they took place in a socially and politically divided environment.

A very polarized campaign was conducted, there was a high level of negative campaigning and fear-mongering, international observers said.

"The fact that there were 5.600 observers, including the full ODIHR mission, best shows that Serbia has problems with the elections. Those reports go into the report of the European Commission and affect all indices of Serbia, for example Freedom House. Therefore, they affect international evaluations and the EU's attitude towards Serbia," Zoran Gavrilović from the Bureau of Social Research told "Vreme".

When it comes to media coverage of the elections in Serbia, Gavrilović says that ODIHR diplomatically determined what the organization from which it comes from claims.

"The media were mainly pro-government, the civil opposition was represented in the media of the United Group, and the right was marginalized," Gavrilović reports media evaluations.

Concerned about the role of the president

The representatives of the ODIHR mission also stated that they are concerned about frequent and early elections that prevent democratic institutions from functioning properly and producing results.

Another thing that caused concern was the role of the president, who was not a candidate but participated in the campaign, which gave one list an advantage, the conference said.

The ubiquity of President Aleksandar Vučić and biased treatment in the media were also noticed.

"It seriously undermines fair conditions in the electoral contest because the president is supposed to be a neutral figure who expresses national unity," observers said.

Unfair election conditions and alleged manipulation of votes were said to be "very serious problems" that must be addressed by Serbian institutions.

According to reports, group voting and violation of the secrecy of the vote were observed.

"We have seen serious irregularities, such as buying votes and putting votes in ballot boxes," said representatives of international observers.

The EU left the first step

Let us remind you that the spokeswoman of the European Commission, Ana Pisonero, stated that the EU will not make a statement about the elections in Serbia until the mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Office for Human Rights and Democratic Institutions (OSCE/ODIHR) present preliminary results.

"We followed the elections very carefully and we always refrain from commenting until the OSCE/ODIHR gives a preliminary assessment, which will be later this afternoon," Pisonero said at a media briefing, reports N1.