Republic Electoral Commission

9 December 2019

PRESS RELEASE

Training of instructors for the polling board standing compositions begins

The training of instructors for the standing composition of polling boards began today at the Republic Electoral Commission HQ as part of the measures for the improvement of the electoral process.

Representatives of Leskovac, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Nis are the first of around 500 instructors from Serbian towns and municipalities to attend the training with the task to in turn train the members of the polling board standing compositions. The chief objective is to provide the future members of the poling boards with the knowledge and skills to ensure that the electoral process is conducted in line with the laws and procedures of the Republic Electoral Commission.

“Everything we do is part of the measures for the improvement of the electoral process. The idea is to raise the entire electoral process to a much higher level by raising the level of knowledge and awareness in the members of the polling boards. The idea is to make the entire electoral process in the coming elections absolutely public in every stage of the election procedure”, said the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic at the beginning of the training.

The instructor training programme will be conducted in December, based on the Conclusion and Decision the Republic Electoral Commission adopted at the previous session, by 19 members of the Working body set up for the purpose.

6 December 2019

PRESS RELEASE

REC and Centre for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities Serbia sign a Protocol of Cooperation

Inclusion of persons with disabilities in the work of the electoral bodies is one measure that the Republic Electoral Commission will implement to improve the electoral process by signing a Protocol of Cooperation with the Centre for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities Serbia.

The Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic recommends that the political parties include persons with disabilities in the work of the electoral bodies and announces that the training programme for personnel charged with conducting the elections, organized by REC, will pay special attention to persons with disabilities. Ease of access to the polling stations is a very important aspect of the signed Protocol.

Centre President Milena Stojanovic and member of the Centre’s presidency Gordana Rajkov announced the Centre’s project to set up a working group comprised of REC members, Office for Human and Minority Rights, Ombudsman, Commissioner for Protection of Equality and representatives of PWD associations, and the REC Chairperson said that the REC is very interested in contributing to the group’s work.

The REC Chairperson said that the signing of the Protocol of Cooperation is an important step toward advancing the quality of the electoral process.

6 November 2019

PRESS RELEASE

Comprehensive training of bodies in charge of conducting the elections and realization of proposed measures will advance the electoral process, says the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic

“Our common motive for this type of debate is to include the public in proposing measures to advance the work of the Republic Electoral Commission and polling boards”, concluded the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic at the fourth roundtable held on 6 November 2019, at the National Assembly building in Belgrade.

He said that the dialogue and preparations for the regular election cycle began on time and all the participants in the electoral process, both voters and submitters of electoral lists, will be duly informed about all relevant details.

Dimitrijevic said that any and all initiatives are welcome and will be considered during the public debate period which ends in two weeks, adding that the Republic Electoral Commission will be accepting initiatives submitted after this period right up until the elections are officially called.

The roundtable was attended by representatives of the Governmental Working Group, members of the Republic Electoral Commission and the Electoral Commission of the City of Belgrade, and representatives of PWD associations and associations dealing with electoral affairs.

31 October 2019

PRESS RELEASE

The members of the Republic Electoral Commission meet with a representative of the Centre for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities Serbia

Members of the Republic Electoral Commission Vesna Mizdrak and Zoran Lukic and Deputy Secretary of the Republic Electoral Commission Branko Marinkovic met with representative of the Centre for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities Serbia Gordana Rajkov to discuss how to improve the accessibility of the electoral process for PWDs.

It is very important to raise social awareness on this very important topic, they agreed, and make the electoral process more accessible to persons with disabilities.

Improving the process of voting outside of polling stations and making the polling stations more physically accessible are two especially significant points.

REC member Vesna Mizdrak said that the members of the electoral boards complained that the conduct of voting outside of polling stations is their number one problem.

Gordana Rajkov said that one of the biggest challenges is ensuring the secrecy of the vote for visually impaired persons, but added that she understands that there are legal obstacles.

It was concluded that it would be very useful to include PWDs in the work of the electoral bodies which is a recommendation that should be sent to the political parties when they propose members of the polling boards and to focus on the needs of PWDs in the training of staff appointed to conduct the voting.

31 October 2019

PRESS RELEASE OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE REPUBLIC ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Dialogue to improve the electoral process continues, says the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic

The Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic said that the third roundtable, held today, 31 October, in Kragujevac, yielded some suggestions that can significantly improve the electoral process in Serbia.

“Like the previous hosts, the City of Kragujevac was also eager to contribute its best creative suggestions to help us find an all-round satisfactory solution”, said Dimitrijevic.

He said that the first-hand feedback the Republic Electoral Commission is getting in these roundtables gives him hope and assures him that they would have a tremendous impact on the working drafts of the acts prepared by the Republic Electoral Commission and the measures to be implemented to improve the electoral process. Among other things, the topics of the roundtable concerned the voting of persons with disabilities and how to improve the role of domestic and foreign observers.

The roundtable was attended by representatives of the Governmental Working Group and the members of the Republic Electoral Commission and the Electoral Commission of the City of Kragujevac City Assembly.

29 October 2019

PRESS RELEASE

One step closer to a better electoral process, says the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic

Nis Town House hosted the second roundtable of the public debate on the working drafts of the acts to be passed by the Republic Electoral Commission and measures to be implemented to improve the electoral process.

The Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic said that the debate was very constructive and would surely yield positive effects. He also said he was glad the participants recognise each other as partners..

“We have taken one step closer to a better electoral process and I hope each successive roundtable would like this one take a step closer to our common goal. Constructive debates like today’s can significantly contribute to and affect the quality and efficiency of the electoral bodies”, said Dimitrijevic.

The roundtable was attended by representatives of the Governmental Working Group, members of the Republic Electoral Commission and the Electoral Commission of the City of Nis, and representatives of NGOs.

The third roundtable will be held on 31 October in Kragujevac City Assembly, at 10 am.

25 October 2019

PRESS RELEASE

I expect the improved electoral process will yield positive effects, says the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic

The first roundtable of the public debate on the working drafts of the acts to be passed by the Republic Electoral Commission and measures to be implemented to improve the electoral process was held today, 25 October, in the Assembly of AP Vojvodina in Novi Sad.

Besides the organizers – representatives of the Governmental Working Group and members of the Republic Electoral Commission, the roundtable was also attended by representatives of the Provincial Electoral Commission, the Electoral Commission of the City of Novi Sad, organizations dealing with electoral conditions (CRTA), relevant ministries, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and a representative of PWD associations.

“The participants of the roundtable had a lot of proposals and suggestions to add to the debate which in itself is a significant source of positive influences on the quality and efficiency of the bodies in charge of conducting the election process”, said the Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic, adding that the active involvement of the public in all the stages of the electoral process boosts the citizens’ trust in it.

The second roundtable will be held on 29 October in Nis Town House, at 11 am.

18 October 2019

PRESS RELEASE OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE REPUBLIC ELECTORAL COMMISSION

The Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Vladimir Dimitrijevic invites the expert community to review the text of the act to be passed by the Republic Electoral Commission and measures it will undertake to advance the electoral process.

“The 30-day public debate opens today, 18 October 2019. We invite the concerned expert community to submit its proposals, suggestions, initiatives and comments to the Republic Electoral Commission. During the public debate, there will be a number of roundtables where the text of the draft acts to be passed by the Republic Electoral Commission will be presented along with measures it will undertake for the purpose of advancing the electoral process”, said Dimitrijevic.

He stressed that after the conclusion of the public debate the Republic Electoral Commission will analyse all the comments, proposals and suggestions received.