Serbia’s 2024 local elections were well run and freedom of expression and assembly were respected, but the dominance of the ruling party as well as the fragmentation of the opposition reduced their competitiveness, and concerns remained about pressure on public sector employees and misuse of public resources. The electoral legal framework provides an adequate basis to hold democratic elections, but further reforms are needed to address outstanding ODIHR recommendations.

These are some main conclusions from the final report on the June elections published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 29 recommendations to improve the election process and support efforts to bring it further in line with the commitments made by all OSCE states, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Taking measures to ensure the separation of the state and party and the impartiality of the public administration during the campaign;
• Harmonizing election legislation to effectively address prior recommendations through an inclusive process;
• Carrying out a comprehensive and targeted voter education programme, including on voters’ rights, the prevention of group voting, and the importance of voting by secret ballot.
• Condemning attacks on journalists, implementing measures to protect them, and preventing impunity through independent, timely investigation;
• Enhancing consistency and capacity of the election administration by defining a single institution with overall guidance on applicable rules ;
• Conducting a thorough audit of the voter and civil registers with the participation of relevant stakeholders;

The ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 2 June 2024 local elections commenced its work on 28 April 2024 and remained in the country until 11 June.

All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations. The ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database tracks the implementation of previous recommendations across the OSCE region.