Igor Bandović

Widespread incidents of violence, threats and voting irregularities - what the observer mission of the Council of Europe has witnessed during the Serbian local elections is unacceptable. Free and fair elections are fundamental in democracies, especially for EU candidate countries like Serbia. We call on the competent national authorities to ensure swift and transparent investigation of the reported incidents, and to hold perpetrators accountable.

Statement of the European Union Delegation to the Republic to Serbia on the local elections in 10 Serbian municipalities held on 29th March 2026 The EU has closely followed the local elections held on 29 March in ten municipalities in Serbia. We welcome that the national authorities invited the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to observe the local elections. We take note of the findings of the election observation delegation as published on 30 March. As informed by the delegation’s statement, we regret the number of reported irregularities and incidents during the elections, the uneven playing field, and note with concern reports of acts of violence against independent observers, citizens, representatives of political parties and media workers. We call on the competent national authorities to ensure swift and transparent follow up and to hold perpetrators accountable. We welcome the high voter turnout and active engagement of citizens. We recall that it is the duty of the State to protect citizens from violence, to guarantee adequate conditions for citizen observers to conduct their activities in an environment free from pressure and intimidation, and to ensure the safety of journalists in the context of elections. We recall that, building on the first positive steps taken to address concerns about the integrity of the electoral register, the electoral process requires further tangible improvement and reform. In this respect, we call for an inclusive process involving all relevant stakeholders to advance the work on the full implementation of OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe recommendations, in order to improve the electoral framework, and its implementation, well in advance of the next national elections. We will continue to follow developments in electoral reforms closely, as well as future local and national elections, as the proper functioning of Serbia’s democratic institutions is at the core of its EU accession process.