Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem falling within the competence of the Government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem does not fall within our competence, we will forward your message to the competent institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Continuation of work on fulfillment of ODIHR recommendations

Belgrade, 15 March 2024

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today the meeting of the Working Group for the Improvement of Election Conditions.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister, representatives of ODIHR, OSCE, Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, as well as representatives of the Embassy of the United States attended the meeting.

The Prime Minister informed the participants of the meeting about everything that has been done so far in order to fulfill the recommendations of the ODIHR from the final report of this institution after the elections held last December in the Republic of Serbia.

Regarding recommendation 1, the existing Working Group, which was formed by the current government, will actively work on the implementation of the ODIHR recommendations until the formation of the new government, when a new working group will be formed that will continue to work on implementation of the ODIHR recommendation with all relevant entities in an inclusive manner.

As part of recommendation 2, the work on the Law amending the Law on the Election of MPs and the Law on Local Elections was completed, which, among other things, foresees attending training for work in the local election commission to be a precondition for appointment to these bodies, both in permanent and expanded composition.

With regard to recommendation 3, ODIHR submitted comments on the draft voter training programme and suggested holding a workshop in Belgrade, for further consultations on determining the final text of the training programme.

As for recommendation 4, a meeting of the working group for data analysis in the Single Voter List was held, and on 8 March, an invitation was sent to ODIHR to delegate technical assistance for the voter list.

Recommendations 5 and 6 will be discussed in an inclusive manner with all relevant entities.

Recommendation 7 refers to the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media.

Recommendation 8 is another recommendation that has been fully implemented, so the number of recommendations fulfilled so far has increased to three.

The Electoral Commission has published data on gender representation in all local election boards on its website and is preparing an amendment to the Instructions for Nominating Persons to Election Commissions, so that data on gender representation will be kept at the level of the election board, municipality/city and the entire Republic of Serbia.

The data will also be processed for the upcoming Belgrade elections.

When it comes to recommendation 9, the Proposal for a Decision amending the Decision of the National Assembly on the Organisation and Work of the Service of the National Assembly has been prepared.

Recommendation 10 requires changes to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, and for its fulfillment it is necessary to achieve a broader social consensus.

As for recommendation 11, the work on the amendments to the Law on the Election of MPs and the Law on Local Elections has been completed, which, among other things, change the current rule and prescribe the possibility for a voter to support multiple electoral lists by signature.

With regard to recommendation 12, the work on the Draft Law amending the Law on the Election of MPs has been completed, which, among other things, deletes the possibility of rejecting the electoral list without first ordering the elimination of the deficiency that is the reason for the rejection.

In order to fulfill recommendation 13, it was agreed to establish a contact center for reporting violations of these provisions within the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

By decision of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government ("Official Gazette of RS" 19/24 of March 13, 2024), a Contact Centre for receiving complaints is established in the Ministry.

Regarding recommendation 14, various measures were proposed in joint work with the teams of the Commissioner for Gender Equality and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.

In the field of fulfillment of recommendation 15, the Anti-Corruption Agency submitted an initiative to amend the Law on the Financing of Political Activities to the Ministry of Finance, based on which the Ministry submitted a proposal to amend the Law on the Financing of Political Activities in accordance with this recommendation.

Recommendation 16 will be discussed in a wider composition, in an inclusive manner with all relevant entities.

Also, in order to fulfill recommendation 17, the Anti-Corruption Agency submitted an initiative to amend the Law on Prevention of Corruption to the Ministry of Justice, on the basis of which the Ministry submitted a proposal to amend the Law on Prevention of Corruption in accordance with this recommendation.

In order to fulfill recommendation 18, a meeting of the permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists will be held next week.

Recommendation 19 refers to the work of the media.

When it comes to recommendation 20, the work on the amendments to the Law on the Election of MPs and the Law on Local Elections has been completed, which, among other things, introduce additional criteria for the recognition of minority status and foresee possible evidence that submitters of electoral lists prove that the candidates for MPs deal with minority rights.

Recommendation 21 is within the competence of the judicial authority.

As for recommendation 22, international observers will be welcome in Serbia in the future, as they have been so far, to observe the election process and will have all the necessary conditions for unhindered work.

In order to fulfill recommendation 23, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government instructed all local election commissions to consider and carry out an adequate division of polling stations where more than 1,800 voters cast their votes, in order to facilitate better conditions at polling stations on election day, and redistribute it into two or more polling stations.

In order to fulfill recommendation 24, the Ministry of Justice drafted a proposal to amend the Law on the Constitutional Court.

As for recommendation 25, ODIHR will consult with the Election Commission and specify this recommendation in the coming days.

The Election Commission sent a request to the ODIHR for clarification and a more detailed explanation of this recommendation.

Upon receiving the requested information, consideration of ways to fulfill it will be started.