Certain members of the European Parliament (EP) requested an international investigation into "electoral fraud in Serbia" and called on the member states of the European Union not to accept the election results until that investigation is completed. Others took the position that the geopolitical moment must also be taken into account and that Serbia should not be "pushed into the arms of Russia".
Na protest in Belgrade held on Tuesday all eyes were on Strasbourg, where on the agenda on Wednesday evening was a discussion about the elections held in Serbia on December 17. The goal of Serbia against violence was to internationalize "electoral theft" and that goal was achieved, and there was no shortage of sharp, even very sharp criticisms of the Serbian authorities.
"There is no democracy without fair and free elections," said Thomas Vejs, deputy of the Green Party, and assessed that this was not the case with the December elections in Serbia. He spoke about what the coalition Serbia against violence is also talking about, pointed out what the opposition in Serbia is protesting about - the bringing of voters to Belgrade to vote in local elections, the "fraud" that was "organized long before the elections, not to influence them, but to steal".
The citizens of Serbia are protesting and demanding free and fair elections, emphasized the Green MP.
Never seen
Viola von Kramon, MP of the Greens and EP rapporteur for Kosovo, was even harsher. She emphasized that she was an observer in numerous elections, but that in 20 years she has not witnessed such a situation as in December in Serbia.
She referred to the mass migration of voters of the Serbian Progressive Party to Belgrade, to the bringing of people from Republika Srpska, and stated that "it is clear that the elections were stolen and that the situation is such that an international investigation is needed, as in the case of the 1996 elections". when, after several months of mass demonstrations and pressure from Western countries, Slobodan Miloลกeviฤ was forced to admit defeat in the local elections.
Von Kramon stressed that the opposition would have won in Belgrade if the elections had not been "stolen". And now it seems, she continued, that various manipulations are being used to prevent lawsuits due to election theft from reaching the Constitutional Court of Serbia, which could order a repeat of the election.
Manipulations, irregularities, moving away from the EU
And the Social Democratic Member of the EP from Slovenia, Matjaลพ Nemec, said that he cannot imagine the future of the European Union without Serbia and its citizens, but fears that EU membership "may not be the sincere, strategic and ultimate goal of the Serbian leadership."
"The balancing act of the Serbian leadership, which juggles between commitment to the accession process by opening new chapters, on the one hand, and Serbia's involvement in the intelligence structures of totalitarian states, on the other, is becoming quite bizarre and seriously worrying," Nemec said.
The rhetoric of the political leadership, including "manipulations, evasion of responsibility and numerous indications of irregularities during the December elections, are further distancing Serbia from EU values", he said and pointed out that not only international observers, but also numerous non-governmental organizations and voters are talking about election irregularities. in Serbia.
"You deserve a healthy democracy, verified information from independent and free media, a functional rule of law and credible accession negotiations," said Nemec to the citizens of Serbia. "Don't forget that many of us in the European Parliament are sincere interlocutors and friends of Serbia."
To investigate all irregularities
The European Commissioner for the Judiciary, Didier Reynders, emphasized that the expectations from Serbia are clear when it comes to the functioning of democratic institutions and the rule of law, and that this will be the core of further negotiations with the EU, and that the Commission expects the national authorities of Serbia to transparently investigate all irregularities noted. in the report of the observation mission, and after the adoption of the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR mission, to implement all its recommendations before the new elections.
"We have been following the protests in Serbia and reiterate the right to peaceful demonstrations, and violence is not a solution and is unacceptable," said Reinders. The police response must be adequate. We call on the leaders in Serbia to ensure a comprehensive and constructive dialogue across the political spectrum," said Reynders.
And he reminded Serbia that it should comply with the EU's foreign and security policy, including restrictive measures towards Russia.
And Bilฤik on mass registration of voters from abroad
The rapporteur of the European Parliament for Serbia, Vladimir Bilฤik, who was criticized by the Serbian civil opposition on several occasions for pretending to be blind and deaf to everything that is happening in the country for which he is the rapporteur, even that he "works for Vuฤiฤ", repeated in the debate the allegations from of the preliminary report of the international observation mission, which stated that the voting and counting procedures on December 17 were generally respected, but that "certain deficiencies" were also registered.
"I repeat the parts of the mission report that I signed on December 18 and which I stand by even today," Bilฤik emphasized, adding that there was "a massive registration of voters from abroad in order to increase the electoral body", which is why they called on the Serbian authorities to thoroughly investigate.
"I believe that Serbia deserves better, that it deserves a European future, a political climate without constant campaigning, European reforms and a clear choice between Russia and the EU, confrontation and cooperation," Bilcik said.
A long list of irregularities
And the member of the Social Democrats in the European Parliament, Andreas Schider, who was exposed to the relentless campaign of the pro-regime Serbian media, pointed out that exactly one month has passed since the elections in Serbia, and that there is a "long list of irregularities" that marked December 17, among which and phantom voters.
"The Government of Serbia should act transparently on these irregularities, but the Prime Minister and the President do not behave like that, but rather criticize the observers," ล ider added.
The essence of the problem
Slovenian MP and head of the EP observation mission at the elections in Serbia, Klemen Groลกelj, said that one gets the impression that the government "doesn't care" about allegations that there were serious irregularities in the elections, which were not fair and free.
"And the irregularities recorded in the past elections show that Serbia has serious problems with democratic standards and fair and free elections." We have been aware of this for many years. However, the novelty is the brutal openness of those irregularities," Groลกelj said in his opening speech.
And that is because, he explained, they start from the fact that they will not bear any sanctions.
And then he highlighted the essence of the problem: "Unfortunately, they are right." The reaction of the council and the Commission (EU) is, to put it mildly, moderate. That's the problem with our expansion policies. The question is whether the EU will insist on the implementation of the main policies and principles of values, which include free and fair elections. Or will we be politically pragmatic and sacrifice the democratic hopes of the Serbian people for the sake of quasi-geopolitical stability. For me the answer is simple, but I know that for many in the EU it is complicated. If we really care about the future of Serbia, the Western Balkans and the EU, we must support that Serbia has free and fair democratic elections",
Hungarian friends
Hungarian Fidesz MP Andor Deli assessed, as expected, that "the same recipe as in the case of Hungary" is being applied in Serbia, but just as it did not work with Budapest, the same will be the case with the actions of the European Parliament towards Serbia.
"The image and credibility of the EU in the region is currently deteriorating because of such biased debates, which are counterproductive." "This House should have more respect and understanding for Serbia," Deli said.
And the member of the EP from the European People's Party Lukas Mandl assessed that Serbia can be "Germany in the Western Balkans" and that the citizens of Serbia who deserve "a better future after this authoritarian regime" must be supported.
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