ODIHR experts visit Serbia to launch mid-term review of Western Balkans election support project

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) were in Serbia from 14 to 17 May 2019 to meet government officials and international organization representatives as well as civil society, for the first in a series of visits across the region under the auspices of the  Support to Elections in the Western Balkans project.

In-depth discussions were held with senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the Electoral Commission, the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Issues, the public broadcaster and the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, as well as representatives of civil society and the international community, including the delegation of the European Union. The visit was organized with support from the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

ODIHR support for the development of training materials for lower election commissions, the use of its expertise in improving the tabulation of election results, and a joint event to discuss electoral participation of people with disabilities were among the areas of co-operation discussed. ODIHR will also work with the state authority for electronic media on addressing recommendations made after the adoption of a new media strategy, and reiterated its willingness to assist the parliament by reviewing the recently adopted law on the central registry. 

“We have discussed many areas for improvement in Serbia since the start of this project in 2017, and we believe more could have been achieved,” said Lusine Badalyan, Senior Election Adviser with the ODIHR Elections Department. “These visits across the Western Balkans provide a much-needed opportunity to discuss the active engagement of the authorities in the electoral reform process.”

This week’s visit was the first of six to be carried out in the course of the three-year project. The project is funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency.

All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to promptly following up on ODIHR election assessments and recommendations, while ODIHR has consistently supported the effective follow-up of recommendations. The project Support to Elections in the Western Balkans builds upon this work.