Early Parliamentary Elections, 24 April 2016

Following an official invitation and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed a limited election observation mission (LEOM) to observe the 24 April 2016 early parliamentary elections.

In view of the short timeframe for the upcoming elections, and based on the conclusions, findings and recommendations of past OSCE/ODIHR election-related activities in Serbia, the OSCE/ODIHR decided to deploy the LEOM of a similar format to previous elections.

The OSCE/ODIHR LEOM and the OSCE Mission to Serbia operate separately under their specific mandates.

Long-term Observation

The OSCE/ODIHR LEOM, headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, consists of 10 international experts based in Belgrade. In addition, 12 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 25 March.

The mission will assess these elections for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will follow candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, the implementation of the legislative framework, and the resolution of election disputes. As part of the observation, the LEOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Election Day

While the mission would visit a limited number of polling stations on election day, systematic observation of voting, counting or tabulation of results on election day is not envisaged.

The day after the elections, ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.

Co-operation with Other Partners

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is planning to deploy an observer delegation for these elections.

Previous Elections

ODIHR has observed 12 elections in Serbia since 1997, most recently the 2014 early parliamentary elections.