Members of the Serbian National Assembly will begin the third session of the regular spring sitting at 10 a.m. today, with four items on the proposed agenda – namely, proposals to amend and supplement electoral laws submitted by Serbian Progressive Party MP Miroslav Petrašinović.
MPs will consider proposed amendments to the Law on the Election of the President of the Republic, the Law on the Election of Members of Parliament, the Law on Local Elections, and the Law on the Constitutional Court.
The Committee on the Judiciary, Public Administration and Local Self-Government has supported the proposed legal solutions, while the Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Issues assessed that the proposed amendments to the four electoral laws are in line with the Constitution and the legal system of Serbia.
Four public hearings on these legislative proposals were held by the National Assembly’s Committee on the Judiciary, Public Administration and Local Self-Government in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Novi Sad and Niš.
During the public hearings, Petrašinović explained that the proposed package of electoral laws was the result of cooperation and activities with the Observation Mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) following the parliamentary elections held on 17 December 2023.
What changes are introduced by the amendments?
Speaking about the amendments and supplements to the Law on the Election of Members of Parliament, Petrašinović stated that a greater capacity is being introduced for electoral administration bodies, both at the intermediate and lower levels – referring to city and municipal electoral commissions, as well as polling boards.
Petrašinović said that one of ODIHR’s recommendations had been to work towards introducing a standardised type of training for all members of polling boards.
“In line with this, the solution now envisaged by the amendments and supplements to the Law on the Election of Members of Parliament provides for a standardised type of training for all members of polling boards, both those in permanent composition and those in extended composition,” Petrašinović said.
As he explained, the training will be organised by the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK), which, as the body responsible for conducting elections, will be obliged within three months of the law entering into force to prescribe how the training will be delivered and organised.
He added that the RIK would be responsible for maintaining a register of all persons who have completed the training and obtained certification, with the certificate remaining valid for three years.
“The amendments and supplements to this legislative solution also provide for situations in which individuals lose this certificate. One such case is if a person is finally convicted of a criminal offence against electoral rights or if elections are annulled at the relevant polling station,” he said.
Support signatures for multiple electoral lists
The amendments also stipulate that one person may give a signature of support to more than one electoral list.
As he noted, this was one of ODIHR’s recommendations, which had also appeared in some of its earlier reports following parliamentary elections.
Petrašinović also stated that the Republic Electoral Commission, as well as city or municipal electoral commissions, would be responsible for filing criminal complaints with the competent prosecutor’s office if personal data are misused during the collection of support signatures for electoral lists.
Amendments concerning minority lists
According to him, amendments are also envisaged regarding minority lists.
He explained that the new legal solution provides that the name of a list seeking to obtain the status of a national minority list must contain the full or abbreviated name of the national minority.
Where a coalition of political parties is concerned, all parties must be national minority parties registered as such in the register of political parties, and the name of the electoral list must contain the full or abbreviated name of the national minority party.
He added that, where a citizens’ group seeks to obtain the status of a national minority party, the name of the list must include the name of the national minority whose interests that citizens’ group represents.
Speaking about the Proposal to Supplement the Law on the Election of the President of the Republic, Petrašinović stated that the proposed legal solution defines that members of polling boards responsible on voting day during presidential elections must also undergo training.
On local elections
As regards the amendments and supplements to the Law on Local Elections, it is likewise prescribed that persons serving on polling boards, both in permanent and extended composition, must possess certification confirming that they have completed training for work on a polling board.
The provisions concerning training organised and conducted by the Republic Electoral Commission also apply to the Proposal for the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Local Elections.
Amendments concerning the Constitutional Court
Regarding the amendments and supplements to the Law on the Constitutional Court, he stated that the changes relate to shortening the deadline within which the election administration body must submit the necessary evidence to the court. He explained that the previous deadline was eight days, while it is now proposed to be reduced to three days.
He also added that the Constitutional Court currently has a 30-day deadline to decide on the annulment of elections at a specific polling station, and it is proposed that this deadline be shortened to 20 days. According to him, it has also been proposed that the deadline for repeating elections, which is currently 10 days, should be extended to 30 days.
(RTS, 12.05.2026)
https://www.rts.rs/vesti/politika/5947351/skupstina-sednica-izborni-zakoni-izmene-odihr.html