RIK rejects European Serbia and Student List objections
Neither of the two objections to polling stations abroad won a majority: in both cases 12 members voted to uphold, while 19 did not vote.
The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) rejected objections from the “European Serbia - Marinika Tepic - Zdravko Ponos” and “Student List - Students Win” electoral lists over polling stations abroad at its 54th session, held on the evening of October 12, 2026. The session was chaired by RIK deputy chairman Marko Jankovic.
In the Commission’s statement, both objections are recorded as rejected for lack of merit. They were turned down because neither won the majority needed to be upheld.
How did the vote on the two objections go?
European Serbia challenged the Decision on Determining Polling Stations Abroad and asked for a new decision that would, as the objection puts it, allow accessible voting, including additional polling stations wherever conditions allow. We reported on this when the objection was announced.
Of the 33 RIK members present, 12 voted to uphold, one voted against, one abstained and 19 did not vote. After the vote, Jankovic said:
“The objection has not received the majority needed to be upheld, so the objection is considered rejected”
The Student List appealed the Decision Amending the Decision on Determining Polling Stations Abroad. It sought to have the decision annulled and changed, arguing that no additional polling stations were designated outside the country, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not supplied the requested data, and that the decision does not give the number of registered voters per polling station. The result was the same: 12 for, one against, one abstention and 19 who did not vote. RTV, which carries Tanjug’s report, gives 31 members present for this objection and 33 for the first.
What did rapporteur Ivan Djordjevic explain?
The rapporteur was Ivan Djordjevic, a RIK member and coordinator for voting abroad. He said the contested decision rests on the October 7 proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is the proposer authorized by law. On the first objection he concluded:
“Based on all of the above, I believe there is no basis for concluding that the contested decision is unlawful, which is why the objection should be considered unfounded in every respect, and accordingly I believe the objection should be rejected as unfounded”
To the argument that the actual distance between a voter and the polling station must be taken into account, Djordjevic replied that accessibility is defined solely through physical and communication conditions at the location itself, such as barrier-free access and parking for people with disabilities:
“It follows from the above that assessing the accessibility of a polling station does not include assessing whether the distance of the polling station from the voter’s address of residence or stay is adequate”
On the Student List objection, he repeated that the number of voters per polling station is not a mandatory element of the decision:
“The number of voters per polling station is not a mandatory element of the Decision determining or changing polling stations abroad.”
He added that, under the constitution and the law, voting abroad does not have to be made available to every voter at the place of their current stay: “The fact that someone is unable to vote abroad does not constitute a violation of their individual political right.”
In his words, the number of registered voters per polling station abroad must be between 100 and 2,500, and the regulations allow a polling station with fewer than 100 voters only in Serbia.
What did other Commission members ask?
RIK member Strahinja Bozinovic asked why certain locations, for example Vancouver, were left out, and requested a more precise explanation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ methodology. Member Sofija Mandic said RIK should obtain data from the Ministry and amend both the decision on polling stations and the decision on voting times abroad.
Ivan Sebek (RTV spells it Sebak) said the Student List objection was filed on time and that it seeks additional polling stations rather than new ones, along with an order for the Ministry to supply the data.
How many polling stations will open abroad?
RIK chairman Vladimir Dimitrijevic, speaking about the start of ballot printing for the October 25 elections, said voting will take place at 8,392 polling stations, 93 of them abroad, in 37 countries.
At the same session, RIK adopted decisions dismissing officials from the permanent membership of the Vrnjacka Banja Municipal Electoral Commission and decisions on appointments to local electoral commissions.
