Serbia’s parliamentary election on Sunday 25 October drew what the European Commission described as historic voter turnout, as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos urged a swift transition to a new parliament and government.
The two senior EU officials said the main election contenders quickly recognised the results, which they said showed commitment to a smooth democratic process, and called for the formal certification of the outcome to allow an orderly handover, according to a joint statement published by the European Commission on Tuesday.
Free, fair and transparent elections in line with international standards are required for Serbia to meet the criteria for EU membership, the Commission officials said.
They pointed to preliminary findings from an international election observation mission involving the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights — a body that monitors elections — alongside delegations from the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Observers cite both orderly voting and concerns over campaign conditions
The observers reported that election preparations were managed efficiently overall and assessed most polling stations positively across the stages of election day, the mission said in its preliminary findings cited by the Commission.
However, the mission also reported an uneven electoral environment, citing alleged misuse of state resources and media coverage biased towards the incumbent party, as well as intimidation and pressure on voters, candidates and civil society, and disruptions to campaign activities.
Incidents of physical violence were also reported, raising serious concerns.
Kallas and Kos stated that reform of the electoral framework remained a priority, calling for an inclusive process involving relevant stakeholders and the implementation of recommendations made by OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe.
The EU said it was ready to work with Serbia’s incoming government on the accession process, including democratic criteria, an independent judiciary, fundamental rights and media freedom.
