Observers: A Free Choice, but on a Tilted Playing Field

The international observation mission of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament presented its preliminary findings in Belgrade on 26 October.

What worked

Observers noted high turnout and genuine competition between the two main contenders, generally efficient preparations and inclusive candidate registration. Most stages of election day were assessed positively at most of the polling stations they visited.

What did not

The mission said the ruling party benefited from entrenched advantages, including the misuse of public resources. It reported intimidation and pressure on voters, disruption of campaign events and physical attacks on polling staff, citizen observers and journalists. It questioned the impartiality of some decisions by the Republic Election Commission, called complaint handling deficient and noted persistent distrust in the voter register. Voters with physical disabilities lacked independent access at 60% of the 1,485 polling stations observed.

Public and private broadcasters favoured the United Serbia list and mostly portrayed the Student List negatively, the observers said. Online campaigning was largely unregulated, and allegations of unlawful digital surveillance — including Pegasus spyware — remained a concern. Campaign-finance reform is still outstanding.

Brussels responds

EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos welcomed what the Commission called historic turnout and urged a swift, orderly transition to a new parliament and government once results are certified. They named electoral reform — implementing ODIHR and Council of Europe recommendations — as a priority.