Serbia diaspora voting dispute intensifies over polling station locations

diaspora voting election transparency Republic Electoral Commission Serbia elections polling station disputes

Controversy is mounting in Serbia regarding the organization of voting for citizens living abroad ahead of the October 25 parliamentary elections. While over 110,000 citizens have registered to vote from the diaspora, the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) has approved only 93 polling stations worldwide.

Opposition members and the Student List have organized protests, such as the 'We Won't Be Able to Do This Tonight' demonstration, to contest the decision. Critics argue that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has failed to open sufficient locations in cities with high concentrations of voters, such as Vancouver, Thessaloniki, and Sofia. Furthermore, the decision to tie diaspora voting to Serbian local time (7:00 to 20:00) is being criticized as a barrier to participation.

RIK member Ivan Šebek has called for more precise data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to justify why certain cities were excluded. Meanwhile, the organization Transparency Serbia has warned that the Ministry's actions may be undermining constitutional voting rights. Recent RIK decisions have focused on remapping existing stations rather than opening new ones, leading to some voters being reassigned to distant locations, such as residents in Vancouver being directed to vote in Toronto.

Entities

Ivan Šebek · Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova · Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Republic Electoral Commission · Republička izborna komisija · Serbia · Student List – Students Win · Studentska lista · Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju · Transparency Serbia

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Voting for the diaspora is tied to Serbian local time, from 7:00 to 20:00. bosnainfo.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] The RIK decided to modify the scope of existing polling stations without opening new ones. studiob.rs · vreme.com
[● 2 SOURCES] RIK member Ivan Šebek requested precise data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the number of registered voters in each foreign city. insajder.net
[● 2 SOURCES] The Student List organized a protest titled 'We Won't Be Able to Do This Tonight' in front of the RIK. bosnainfo.ba · serbiantimes.info
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Commission for Revision of the Voter List rejected a request from the opposition and civil sector for electronic voter list extracts. www.index.hr
[● 2 SOURCES] The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) approved 93 polling stations worldwide. bosnainfo.ba · studiob.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] The organization Transparency Serbia claims the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is endangering the voting rights of citizens abroad. www.nedeljnik.rs
[● 4 SOURCES] More than 110,000 citizens have registered to vote abroad for the October 25 elections. bosnainfo.ba · serbiantimes.info · vreme.com