
The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament reiterated its call for a comprehensive and transparent international investigation into all reported electoral irregularities and allegations of fraud in connection with the Serbian parliamentary and partial municipal elections of December 17, 2023. reports The Geopost.
The joint international monitoring mission found misuse of public funds, lack of separation between official functions and campaign activities, intimidation and pressure on voters, organized voter transport fraud, ballot box stuffing and vote buying.
“In a resolution adopted today by the plenary session and initiated by Renew Europe, we call on the European Commission to immediately start reviewing the funds provided to the Serbian government under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance III and other financial instruments and to suspend the provision of EU funds to Serbia if the Serbian authorities are not ready to implement key OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. “We also condemn the excessive use of police force during the protests and call for continuous monitoring of related legal cases,” the group’s communiqué reads.
Klemen Grošelj (Gibanje Svoboda, Slovenia), Renew Europe MEP, shadow rapporteur for Serbia and head of the EP’s election observation delegation, said:
“The elections did not meet all the requirements to be considered free and fair. An independent investigation led by international legal experts should be launched. If the Serbian authorities do not cooperate or there is evidence of their direct involvement in electoral fraud, EU funding should be suspended.” /TheGeopost