Serbia, Anticipated Early Elections, 2026

Following the letter of the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia of 23 June, in anticipation of an official invitation to observe anticipated elections in the Republic of Serbia in 2026, as indicated by recent public statements of senior state officials, and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR deployed a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) from 6 to 10 July 2026. The ODIHR NАМ included Mr. Ülvi Akhundlu, Deputy Head of the ODIHR Election Department, and Dr. Martina Barker-Ciganikova, ODIHR Election Adviser. 

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and the preparations for the elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from state institutions, as well as with representatives of political parties, media, civil society, academia, and international organizations. A list of meetings is annexed to this report. 

ODIHR expresses its appreciation to the authorities of the Republic of Serbia for their close co operation and for facilitating the deployment of the NAM at an early stage of the electoral process, before the formal calling of the elections, enabling an early assessment of the pre-election environment and timely preparations for a possible ODIHR election observation activity. ODIHR would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the OSCE Mission to Serbia for their assistance and co-operation in organizing the NAM. ODIHR would also like to thank all of its interlocutors for taking the time to meet with the NAM and share their views.