Serbia election: CRTA declines RTS debate as BIRODI demands data transparency

As parliamentary elections approach in Serbia, tensions have risen regarding pre-election debates and electoral transparency. Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS) extended invitations for a debate to Aleksandar Vučić, leader of the ‘United Serbia – Aleksandar Vučić’ list, and Ilija Srdanović of the ‘Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju’ list.

CRTA, an organization focused on transparency and accountability, declined the invitation, stating they are election observers rather than participants in the race. CRTA criticized RTS, claiming the broadcaster is attempting to manipulate public perception and misrepresent the roles of various election actors. Meanwhile, the Studentska lista expressed openness to debates but requested more specific information regarding the format, topics, and participants before committing.

Separately, the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI) has called on the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) to establish standards for publishing election results. BIRODI is urging the commission to provide machine-readable data, such as CSV and XLSX formats, to allow for timely verification of results at the polling station level, citing international recommendations for open data and transparency.