Voting conditions in the diaspora may raise tensions further

Member Republic election commissions Marko Živanović assessed that the manner in which polling stations were determined polling places citizens of Serbia abroad represents a serious obstacle to exercising the right to vote. According to his words, the REC will tomorrow consider the Student List's objection to the decision on the determination of polling stations, of which there are currently 93.

Živanović told N1 that the REC has not yet received all the information it requested regarding the organization of voting abroad from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As he stated, the Ministry did not submit documentation on communication with the states where voting will be organized, nor precise data on the total number of citizens who registered to vote.

According to his estimate, that number could be around 111.000. Zivanović said that the Ministry had previously announced that more than 100.000 voters had registered, but that REC did not receive a more precise answer even after that.

He believes that such an attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leaves the REC without important data and raises the suspicion that the schedule of polling stations is made in such a way as to make it as difficult as possible for citizens to vote. As the political background of such action, he sees the government's assessment that a significant part of voters from the diaspora, especially from the countries of the Western Hemisphere, could support the opposition, primarily the Student List.

Živanović considers the time set for voting in certain places to be particularly problematic. He stated that in New Zealand, voting takes place during the night, roughly from 8 or 20 pm to 21 am, while in Chicago, voting is scheduled from one hour past midnight, and in New York from midnight or one hour in the morning.

According to his opinion, such conditions represent a flagrant violation of human rights, including the right of citizens to vote and be elected. He singled out the United States of America as particularly problematic, where voters, as he stated, in some cases have to travel thousands of kilometers to the polling station. He sees similar problems in Australia, while in Europe distance is less of a problem, but, according to him, there is also an element of discrimination there.

Zivanović said that he is particularly surprised by this attitude towards voting in the diaspora, because the ruling coalition at the same time claims that it has an advantage of several hundred thousand votes. Therefore, he believes that the question arises of what the government is afraid of if that assessment is correct.

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Živanović apologized to the citizens of Serbia living abroad, explaining that members of the REC who oppose this way of organizing voting are trying to do everything possible within the law, but that they do not have a majority in the Commission on this matter.

According to his words, there is no precedent in international practice for the state to practically determine voting for its citizens during the night. He sees such an approach as an obstruction of the electoral process, especially in countries like the USA and Australia, but also in parts of Europe.

He warned that the consequences could be particularly serious if the election race is close. Živanović reminded that about 111.000 registered voters from the diaspora are expected and estimated that this number, with a turnout of about 65 percent, would represent approximately 2,6 percent of the total electorate.

Therefore, according to his opinion, the small difference between the Serbian Progressive Party and the Student List could call into question the confidence in the electoral process. If the difference is two, three or four percent, said Zivanović, the way of organizing voting abroad could cast a "shadow of doubt" on the election results.

He concluded that the existing obstruction could further raise tensions, especially on election night, if the result is close enough for diaspora votes to have a significant impact on the final outcome.

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