(gradually), due to their identical factual situation and rejected them all as unfounded. After
this was appealed, the Administrative court adopted the appeals and repealed
REC’s decisions94 due to inadequate legal explanation, i.e., the lack of the factual
situation and clear arguments on which the decision was based, which was
incorrectly interpreted in some parts of the public as reverting the vote and
‘taking down the forged elections’95. In the repeated ruling the Republic Electoral
Commission confirmed its previous decisions (in joined procedures) and again, as in earlier
election cycles, took the position that the election cannot be reverted in those polling
stations where irregularities were not noted in the polling board minutes and/or
if this form did not note that there were objections or that an event which may
have affected voting happened. In addition, the Republic Electoral Commission
determined that voting results in disputed polling stations were logical and accurate and that
no objections were made against the results by any members of the extended polling board
membership. The Administrative court made the last verdicts connected to this topic after a
little under two months from the announcement of the results - rejecting the Sovereignists’
complaints and confirming the REC decisions.
This manner of REC insisting on the polling
board minutes as the only documents to be
used as basis for assessments whether or
not there were any irregularities in the
polling stations somewhat limits the
range of complaints expressed by
voters
and/or
observers,
with
consideration to their capabilities and
‘authority’ at the polling stations.
Therefore, if the polling board does not
note a complaint or event of importance
for voting in the polling board minutes,
irregularities cannot be proved and
therefore administration of justice cannot
be fully achieved as well.
The public attention in Serbia was greatly
attracted to footage from a polling station in
Ub, showing a female who is introducing a
group of voters to the polling station and telling
them who to vote for, assisting them with voting,
checking ballots and inserting them into the
ballot box. In addition to clearly violating the
secrecy of the vote as one of the main principles
of elections in Serbia, it is certain that the
present case was about the crime of giving and
receiving bribes in connection with voting and/or
suffrage abuse. However, as the polling
board minutes did not specify any
irregularities occurring at polling
stations, the elections were not reverted.
All other complaints were denied or rejected in the
same or similar way - as untimely or ungrounded,
Of the approximately 6000 cases,
the vote was repeated at a total of
with the exception of three in total: the first concerned
one polling station in the process
a complaint in connection with the Zavetnici (Oathkeepers)
of administration of justice per
list and was adopted following a ruling of the Administrative
complaint from voters.
Court; the second adopted objection related to the
Levijatan list and their registration and the third - final - was also the only one adopted due
to irregularities in the work of the polling board. In fact, at a polling station in Belgrade
a voter was denied the right to vote because another person had signed in their place in the
94
95
All verdicts available at: http://www.up.sud.rs/pages/view_cases_search/cirilica
See: https://dostajebilo.rs/blog/2020/07/01/djb-sa-2700-prigovora-oborio-izbore-jos-samo-da-nateramo-rik-da-to-i-prizna/?0=cir
55