Choices far from any standards

Member of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (EP), Andreas Šider, said yesterday that he has not seen irregularities like he saw in the elections in Serbia, and asked for a repeat of the elections in Belgrade.

"I observed many elections, but the ones held in Serbia were far from any European standards," Šider, who was also a member of the EP mission that observed the elections in Serbia, told N1.

He believes that it would be necessary to conduct an international investigation or at least repeat the elections in Belgrade, but under new conditions. He added, however, that in Serbia it is a big problem to conduct an independent and open investigation, because the division in society is deep, and the judicial system and the state media are not independent enough.

Šider said on N1 television that the election day in Serbia was very specific, and that foreign observers were already informed from the pre-election mission that the conditions were not equal, that President Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) were disproportionately represented in the state media. , while the opposition had limited access, as well as that people were brought to the elections from outside.

He expressed his belief that at least in the elections in Belgrade, the result would have been different if the elections had been better organized and there had been less cheating, the Beta agency reported.

"First of all, let me be clear, this is not in accordance with European standards, this is far from any standards. I have observed many elections, these are far from the standards we are used to. Those who have the power and control over these elections are doing a bad job and are not working in the interest of their country," he said.

He also reminded that the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament are very critical of the election process in Serbia, and that, as he warned, has a negative impact on the EU membership negotiations.

Šider also said that it is true that EU officials in the previous period were too favorable towards the authorities in Serbia, that is, that the Commissioner for Enlargement and some other European officials were "too soft".

"Not in the sense that they didn't punish Serbia and the Serbian people, but when they talked about the rule of law, media freedom. They should be sharper," he believes.

According to him, the EU would have to be very clear and sharp when talking to Serbian officials about the rule of law, independent judiciary, media freedom and functional and fair elections, because "European standards are not for sale".

"All this in Serbia is not good and we should say that we have to be harsh, that we do not accept what is happening. We are deeply concerned and there must be a change in attitude and behavior," Šider said.

Former diplomat Nebojša Vujović said yesterday that the USA and the EU can no longer turn a blind eye to the election thefts of Aleksandar Vučić.

Vujović told the Beta agency that on December 17, Vučić went too far with the theft of votes and that the USA and the EU are right to demand that all election irregularities be investigated.

"The EU and the USA have turned a blind eye to Vučić's election fraud in recent years, because of Kosovo, but they cannot get past what happened on December 17. No one can turn a blind eye to the election theft that happened on Sunday," Vujović said.

He said that none of the Western leaders congratulated Vučić on his election victory.

"After the warnings that came from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department, no one but Orban and Erdogan can congratulate Vučić on his electoral success," Vujović said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany has assessed that the election irregularities in Serbia reported by international observation missions are "unacceptable" for a country that is a candidate for the EU.

"Serbia voted, but OSCE and ODIHR report misuse of public resources, intimidation of voters and cases of vote buying." This is unacceptable for a country with the status of a candidate for EU membership," the German ministry said on the Iks (X) social network.

An international observation team made up of members of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe and the European Parliament stated on Monday in Belgrade that there were irregularities in the elections in Serbia, including vote buying, and that in the campaign that they were preceded by perceived serious problems, such as biased reporting in the media and the dominance of the head of state and the ruling party.

Observers of the OSCE mission announced that the institutions must investigate these problems in order to create fair election conditions and a stronger democracy in Serbia in the future.

The US has called on Serbia to investigate allegations by international observers about election irregularities, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"We invite Serbia to work with the OSCE to resolve these issues. Allegations of irregularities, reported by the OSCE and other international observers, should be investigated," Miller said.

Aleksić: We will ask for the annulment of the elections at all levels

The holder of the opposition electoral list "Serbia against violence" Miroslav Aleksić announced last night that the legal team of that list will submit a collective complaint to the Republican, Provincial and local election commissions with a request to annul the elections at all polling stations and at all levels.

At the third protest in a row in front of the Republic Election Commission (REC) in Belgrade due to alleged election theft, Aleksić said that the deadline for submitting complaints to the election commissions expires last night at 20:XNUMX p.m.

"Our lawyers, who are in those bodies for the implementation of elections, will request the annulment of the elections at all levels," said Aleksić.

He told the representatives of the international community that, if they want Serbia as an orderly society, "speak up now or remain silent forever."

Aleksić assessed that "freedom and elementary human rights" are being defended at the protests in front of the RIK.

"Here we defend the will of citizens throughout Serbia and prevent theft. Not only citizens in Belgrade but all over Serbia must be aware of that. "This moment demands that every man who fights for his dignity in a state where everything has been stolen should stand up," Aleksic said.

Marinika Tepić from the coalition "Serbia against violence" said yesterday that "all competent authorities know that the elections were stolen", and that the theft was "prepared for at least a year", and that the engineering of the theft was designed so that foreigners decide the fate of Belgrade and Serbia.

"It is against the law, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska cannot vote in the Belgrade elections," Tepić, who is on hunger strike in the RIK building, told N1 television.

The students who gathered at the protest in front of the REC announced that they will block certain roads if the demands sent to the Ministry of Local Self-Government are not met. They are asking for verification of the electoral roll.

The only solution is civil actions

The former rector of the University of Belgrade and signatory of the "ProGlas" initiative, Ivanka Popović, assessed that during Sunday's elections in Serbia, a "bare vote grab" took place.

She said that "now is the moment" when citizens must not "stand aside".

"There has been a general criminalization of society, institutions are in the hands of a small number of people and work for their interests. Now is the moment when there are no people who stay on the sidelines. Those who remain on the sidelines help this type of government to remain in force," Popović told N1 television.

She said that in case of election theft, state institutions are obliged to announce themselves, but also that citizens' trust in these institutions is necessary.

"They function in the best order when it suits the ruling structure. I think that without engaging more people who are persistent to come up with answers, we are left with the fact that these are unproven claims. We have to help ourselves", stated Popović.