RIK Certifies SDA Sandzaka as 11th Election List

The Republic Election Commission today certified the eleventh election list for the early parliamentary elections on October 25. The list, “SDA Sandzaka, Guardians of Sandzak,” was submitted to RIK by the Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak, and the commission unanimously granted it national minority list status. The same session marked the first time observers from the ODIHR mission attended since the election process began.

Data on the list was presented at the session by RIK member Tanasije Marinkovic. According to him, SDA Sandzaka submitted its election list on September 20 at 2:10 PM, with 35 candidates for parliament and 5,910 legally valid voter signatures backing it. The law requires at least 5,000 signatures for a national minority list, while the general threshold is 10,000.

At the same session, the commission also issued decisions expanding its own membership, at the request of the list’s submitter. Enis Zekovic of Novi Pazar was appointed as a RIK member, with Djemil Sijaric, also of Novi Pazar, named as his deputy. The commission additionally issued decisions on dismissals and appointments within local election commissions.

Why Does ODIHR’s Presence Matter?

Representatives of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, a body of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe known by its abbreviation ODIHR, attended a Republic Election Commission session for the first time. RIK president Vladimir Dimitrijevic announced that observers from the mission would be present at every upcoming commission session until the end of the election process.

“ODIHR representatives are with us just as they were during previous elections, and they can observe all the electoral actions carried out by the bodies responsible for conducting the elections.”

Dimitrijevic made the statement in remarks carried by the portal Nedeljnik.

The Ballot Order So Far

With the SDA Sandzaka list, RIK had certified eleven election lists in total as of September 22. The order on the combined ballot is as follows:

• Aleksandar Vucic, United Serbia
• Ivica Dacic, Stability Factor
• Student List, Students Win
• Rasim Ljajic, Human SDP/CDP
• Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, Dr. Balint Pastor
• Usame Zukorlic, Movement for Unification
• Russian Party, Serbia in BRICS
• Authentic Right, New DS, Monarchists
• People’s Choice (the coalition later requested that its list be withdrawn)
• European Serbia
• SDA Sandzaka, Guardians of Sandzak

Srpske Novine previously reported on the ballot number RIK assigned to the European Serbia list, which entered the race under number 10.

The deadline for submitting election lists expires at midnight on October 4. By law, the Republic Election Commission must decide on certifying or rejecting each submitted list within 48 hours of receiving it, so the roster of candidates for the October 25 vote may still change in the coming days.