Local elections in Negotin, Mionica, and Sečanj were neither free nor fair
The National Convention on the European Union assesses that the local elections held on 30 November 2025 in Negotin, Mionica, and Sečanj cannot be considered free or fair, as the safety of citizens participating in the electoral process and the freedom of their choice were seriously compromised.
On election day, incidents of violence, intimidation, and organized obstruction of the voting process were recorded, including several cases in which the police present failed to react. At the same time, the presence of special police units in full gear further contributed to an atmosphere of fear and may have influenced voters’ decisions. We emphasize that the police did not inform the public prosecutor’s office about the incidents they witnessed, incidents that carry elements of criminal offenses, despite being legally obliged to do so. As a result, the prosecutor, relying only on media reports, had to initiate preliminary investigative actions independently, confirming that institutional coordination between the police and the prosecutor’s office has effectively broken down.
We are particularly concerned about the endangerment of the safety of independent observers from the CRTA and other monitoring missions, who were prevented from performing their duties safely on election day. We note that irregularities were not limited to the election day itself. In the days preceding it, attacks on candidates were recorded, as well as numerous cases of vote-buying, rewarding voters, and organized pressure, all documented in video materials. At the same time, the entire campaign, contrary to ODIHR recommendations, was marked by the strong involvement of national officials and pre-election budget-funded investments.
All the above demonstrate that the problems in Serbia’s electoral process go far beyond technical shortcomings and legislative weaknesses and therefore cannot be resolved solely through improvements to the regulatory framework. The inability of institutions to protect voters’ freedom of choice, within the broader context of the state of democracy and the rule of law, deeply undermines the legitimacy of the entire electoral process.
The National Convention on the EU calls on the European Union to consider the events during the electoral campaign and on the day of these local elections when assessing the state of the rule of law in Serbia. The previous disregard for the nature of the electoral process (as seen in earlier elections in Zaječar and Kosjerić) and for the institutional breakdown evident in many other examples is no longer sustainable. As long as the institutions of the Republic of Serbia fail to demonstrate in practice that they can ensure the full implementation of existing regulations, there will be neither conditions nor trust for work on improving electoral legislation, an obligation Serbia undertook when adopting the Reform Agenda as a requirement for access to financial resources under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
The integrity of elections is the foundation of democracy. What occurred on 30 November represents a serious erosion of the democratic order in Serbia and requires an urgent response from the competent authorities and European partners.
