PEP counters to debate elections in Serbia

In Serbia on 17 December 2023, parliamentary, local and district elections were held, which won the Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq's Serbian Progressive Party.

Opposition to the development of the debate has been confirmed for Radio Free Europe from several sources in the European Parliament.

Vuciqi's party is an associate member of the EP. This parliamentary group has the largest number of MEPs.

According to sources, The EP has rejected the development of the election debate in Serbia, arguing that the final report of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation Elections Mission should be expected before this debate is held in Europe, ODHIR. The publication of this report is said to take place in late February.

That the PEP would object to the positioning of the debate on elections in Serbia has confirmed the Eurodeput, Clemen Groschel, who has been the leader of the EP monitoring mission for the December 17th elections.

“There will be no debate due to PEP rejection”, he said. According to Groshel, “naturally does not need to be expected to expect the ODHIR report, since the EP has had its own monitoring mission on the ground.

“This is only an act of EPE output. And unfortunately, it's a signal in which direction it's evolved politically. The PEP and on which side of values and principles base its policy on the future of the Western Balkans”, Slovenian MP from the Liberal Group's ranks in the European Parliament said.

Tonino Picalla, the Croatian Eurodeput of the socialist group and the Democrat, has confirmed the same information. But, according to him, at the beginning of the plenary session, when the agenda will be presented, it will require that, with urgent procedure, enter the debate on elections in Serbia.

But, Vladimir Bilchik, MP from the PEP ranks who is also rapporteur for Serbia at the European Parliament, has told Radio Free Europe that no single party can prevent the debate in Parliament”.

No grouping in the European Parliament has the potential to block anything itself. The European Parliament makes collective decisions, in majority of political groups”, he said.

“We need to discuss what happened in Serbia's elections. At the same time, this discussion should be based on facts and consider the final ODHIR report, which will come in the following weeks”, he added.

Other EU institutions continue to repeat the previous election stance in Serbia that “all concerns about election irregularities should be properly investigated”, and that “all must refrain from violent actions, while disagreements must resolve via legal path”.

An international mission that monitored the elections said after the vote that the SNS had gained unfair advantage through unilateral media, through Vuciqi's influence, and had also observed irregularities in the polls like vote buying.

Serbian authorities have denied all these charges. / REL/