EU expresses concern over Serbia's snap elections

BELGRADE, Serbia

Senior European Union officials expressed concern Tuesday over the election process in Serbia following the results of snap general and local elections over the weekend.

''We take note of the preliminary findings and conclusions of the international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on Serbia's 17 Dec. early parliamentary elections. In light of these preliminary findings and conclusions, we conclude with concern that the electoral process requires tangible improvement and further reform, as the proper functioning of Serbia's democratic institutions is at the core of Serbia's EU accession process,'' European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said in a joint press release.

The statement called on Serbian politicians to ensure dialogue.

''We call on the Serbian political leadership to ensure a constructive, inclusive dialogue across the political spectrum,'' said the statement.

International observers said Monday that Serbia's snap general and local elections were marred by irregularities.

An election observation mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE ODIHR) said “the decisive involvement of the President (Aleksandar Vucic) and the ruling party’s systemic advantages undermined the election process overall.”

The German Foreign Ministry also reacted to the results of the elections.

''Serbia has voted, but OSCE ODIHR reports misuse of public resources, voter intimidation and cases of vote buying. This is unacceptable for a country with EU candidate status,'' it said on social media.

Hundreds of residents of the capital Belgrade have been gathering in front of the election commission to protest the results of the snap elections.

The protest rally was organized by “Serbia against the violence,” one of the coalitions that competed in the polls.

Miroslav Aleksic and Marinika Tepic from the coalition said they will go on a hunger strike until the results of local elections in Belgrade are annulled.

According to the preliminary results for the Belgrade City Assembly, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 39.34% of the vote and 49 seats, and the Serbia Against Violence coalition won 34.27% and 42 seats.