US Senators Urge Equal Conditions in Serbia's Elections

A bipartisan group of seven US senators called on Serbia’s authorities on October 20 to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the October 25 parliamentary elections. In a joint statement, they say they see “worrying signs” five days before the vote. Radio Free Europe (RFE) carried the statement.

The statement is signed by Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Dick Durbin and Chris Murphy, along with Republican senators Roger Wicker, Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst and Thom Tillis. The appeal therefore comes from both American parties, and it is addressed explicitly to the governing party and the country’s institutions.

What do the senators ask of Serbia’s authorities?

The demand is summed up in a single sentence. “We call on the ruling party and all relevant institutions to ensure a peaceful, free and open course of the upcoming elections,” the senators said. They add that “the authorities of Serbia must ensure equal conditions for all parties and open access to polling stations for all citizens.”

They single out the reports of wiretapping. In their words, “reports of illegal wiretapping of opposition members and attempts to discredit and undermine election observation missions are deeply troubling.”

The statement from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee also says that independent observers fear the elections will take place in a hostile environment for civil society, observers and opposition parties.

What findings do they cite?

The senators rely on assessments from the Serbian independent organization CRTA and from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). According to those assessments, the campaign has seen several cases of voter intimidation, misuse of administrative resources in favor of the governing party, and police intimidation of opposition candidates.

They also draw a parallel with the previous elections. “Unfortunately, both Serbian and international election observers found serious violations of integrity during the previous parliamentary elections in 2022. Now we see similar worrying signs ahead of the October 25 elections,” the senators said. They add that the governing Serbian Progressive Party has still not fixed the shortcomings identified after 2022.

Three years ago, among its more significant conclusions on Serbia’s elections, ODIHR cited unequal election conditions, pressure on voters and public sector employees, misuse of public resources, media imbalance and problems with the voter register.

What do they say about the vote and relations with Serbia?

The senators’ message also addresses citizens directly. “As the citizens of Serbia prepare to go to the polls on October 25, we stand with their right to have their voices heard in free and fair conditions, and we call on all sides to respect the counting of votes and the relevant procedures for verifying election results,” they said.

They also recall that the United States has long supported Serbia’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and sees its potential to contribute to stability in the Western Balkans. “A strong democracy in Serbia is key to each of these goals,” they added.

They close by returning to the role of observers: “We reaffirm the key role that international and domestic observers play in preserving trust in the election process. It is the responsibility of Serbia’s authorities to ensure that all institutions respect the role of citizen observers, journalists and candidates for public office,” the members of the US Senate said.

The voter register remains an open question

Observers and opposition representatives are again pointing to problems with the voter register, which lists nearly as many voters as there are residents. A month before the vote, RFE reported that more than half a million voters are entered in the register without a precisely recorded address.

The sources we reviewed do not include a response from the governing Serbian Progressive Party to the senators’ statement.